LIBRARY 
 
 OF THE 
 
 UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA. 
 
 OF" 
 
 Mrs. SARAH P. WALSWORTH. 
 
 Received October, 1894. 
 Accessions No.^T*/ .. / /3.?" Class No. 
 
MORNING 
 COMMUNINGS WITH GOD; 
 
 OR, 
 
 DEVOTIONAL MEDITATIONS 
 
 FOR 
 
 EVERY DAY IN THE YEAR. 
 
 CHRISTOPHER CHRISTIAN STURM, 
 
 ii 
 
 AUTHOR OF "REFLECTIONS ON THE WORKS OF GOD," "CONTEMPLATIONS ON THE 
 SUFFERINGS OF CHRIST," ETC. 
 
 TRANSLATED FROM THE GERMAN, 
 
 BY W. JOHNSTONE, A.M. 
 
 &ixt* 1-Dftion. "^ 
 
 f^dfs 
 
 "0THB^% 
 
 tJHJVBESITT] 
 
 LONDON : 
 HENRY G. BOHN, YORK STREET, COVENT GARDEN. 
 
 MDCCCXLVII. 
 
LONDON: 
 
 JOSEPH RFCKEKB-Y, PRINTER, 
 SHERROURN LANE. 
 
PREFACE. 
 
 THE name of Sturm has become so naturalized 
 amongst us, that we scarcely remember that the 
 honour of his birth appertains not to our country; 
 and there are few of our native productions so ex- 
 tensively known, so generally applauded, or perused 
 with so much pleasure as that sweet exotic the 
 REFLECTIONS. To transplant, therefore, at length, 
 though late, another flower from the sacred parterre of 
 this devout and elegant author into the soil of British 
 literature and worship, is a lot, in which, were my 
 reputation and avocations as lofty and brilliant as 
 they are lowly and obscure, I could not otherwise 
 than boast and rejoice. 
 
 It is not my present purpose to inquire wherefore 
 this office has not been performed earlier, or by a 
 
IV PREFACE. 
 
 more skilful hand : it certainly could not be from 
 want of due encouragement of the former work of 
 the same original ; since that has attained to a popu- 
 larity enjoyed by no other production from the 
 stores of German literature, and is almost considered 
 as a standard English work. 
 
 My task has not, however, been totally unattended 
 by difficulties : and in the number of these, that con- 
 tinual recurrence of the same terms and expressions, 
 which, in my opinion, is frequently both energetic 
 and elegant in the original, but which seems so little 
 to accord with the genius of my own language, often 
 painfully obstructed my progress, and rendered it not 
 rarely embarrassing, and not always possible to es- 
 cape an irksome uniformity of language. Wrapped 
 up and absorbed in the holy earnestness of his medi- 
 tations and emotions for he was no enthusiast 
 teacher of lip-and-paper feelings only Sturm, on 
 many occasions, approaches more closely to the style 
 of rapid and spontaneous thinking, than to that of 
 slow and studied writing ; and hence his sentences 
 sometimes bear palpable marks of instantaneous con- 
 ception ; and the same word is employed in a per- 
 
PREFACE. v 
 
 plexing variety of acceptations. My wish has been, 
 and if I am disappointed I cannot accuse my exer- 
 tions, to transfuse into my translation all the senti- 
 ments if it could be, the sensations and, as far as 
 was consistent with the genius of my own tongue, 
 the idiorn of the Pastor of Hamburgh. 
 
 But I will no longer dwell upon what I consider 
 the merits or deficiencies of my own labours : 
 censure or approbation I must now patiently await 
 from the award of criticism. Whatever, moreover, 
 be the opinion formed regarding the present work, as 
 a literary performance, I trust that the larger portion 
 of my readers will be too deeply affected by the de- 
 votional spirit and pious rapture it displays to think 
 of scanning its defects with the coolness of mere 
 criticism. As to the topics contained in these Medi- 
 tations, readers of every station in life, and of every 
 sect of Christianity, may be invited to peruse them ; 
 for although none of them bear reference to any par- 
 ticular rank or contingency of life, and few to any 
 calendered day, yet each is so contrived that it is at 
 once adapted to every rank in society, and every exi- 
 gence and circumstance of human nature, whether 
 
VI PREFACE. 
 
 common or special, bodily or spiritual, prosperous or 
 adverse, and to every season, whether gay or serious, 
 festal or profane ; and the doctrine is strictly suited 
 to the universal preaching of the temple not built by 
 men's hands, but capacious enough to admit the re- 
 union of all who acknowledge the name, at least, of 
 Jesus TJie Doctrine of the Mount. 
 
CONTENTS, 
 
 JANUARY. 
 
 DAY PAGE 
 
 1. ACKNOWLEDGMENT to God for the Mercy of prolonged Exist- 
 
 ence ... ... ... ... ... ... 1 
 
 2. Eternity the Scope of Life 2 
 
 3. God's Perfections and Love 4 
 
 4. The Christian's Happiness and Fate rest with the Deity ... 6 
 
 5. The amazing Goodness of the Lord ... ... ... ... 7 
 
 6. The Consideration of Christ's Sufferings an Antidote against 
 
 Disappointment ... ... ... ... ... ... 9 
 
 7. Contemplating his Saviour's Resignation and Patience, the Chris- 
 
 tian resolves to imitate him ... ... ... ... ... 10 
 
 8. Man lives in the Presence of his Maker ... ... ... 12 
 
 9. The Greatness of God compared with the Insignificance of Man 14 
 
 10. Approach to Death, the Grave, and Judgment ... ... ... 15 
 
 11. Exaltation of the Soul through Faith in Jesus 17 
 
 12. The Ways of God mysterious, but full of Wisdom and Goodness 19 
 
 13. The manifold Blessings of the Lord from the Womb to the Grave 20 
 
 14. The Pleasure and Elevation of Spirit arising from Communion 
 
 with God 22 
 
 15. Salvation and Redemption the highest Blessing ... ... 24 
 
 16. God's Will, and not Man's own Counsel, the sure Foundation of 
 
 Happiness ... ... ... ... ... ... ... 25 
 
 17. The Christian devotes himself with Thanksgivings to God ... 27 
 
 18. The proper Employment of Life 29 
 
 19. The Fear of Death destroyed 30 
 
 20. Supplication for the Divine Guidance ... ... ... 32 
 
 21. The Thought of Immortality renders the Transitoriness and 
 
 Vanity of all Earthly Things undeserving of Regret ... 34 
 
 22. Entire Reliance on the Almighty 35 
 
 23. Praises to God 37 
 
 24. Employment of Time 38 
 
 25. Happiness and Advantage of a Holy and Pious Heart ... 40 
 
 26. Confession of past Sins, Resolution of Amendment, and a Peti- 
 
 tion for God's Grace ... ... ... ... ... ... 41 
 
 27. Effect of the Example and Redemption of the Saviour on the 
 
 Christian Mind and Conduct ... ... ... ... 43 
 
 28. The Omnipresence of the Divinity 44 
 
 29. The Lord great in Counsel and mighty in Deed ... ... 46 
 
 30. God's Patience and Indulgence ... ... ... ... ... 48 
 
 31. The constantly renewed Favour and Grace of God the only Source 
 
 of each Day's Value and Gratification ... ... ... 49 
 
VU1 CONTENTS. 
 
 FEBRUARY. 
 
 DAY PAGE 
 
 1. Adherence to Jesus ... ... ... ... ... ... 51 
 
 2. Alleviation of the Pangs of Death ... 52 
 
 3. The Treasure of a good Conscience ... .. .. .,.54 
 
 4. The Path of Godliness leads through Toils of short Duration to 
 
 perpetual Bliss ... ... ... ... ... ... 56 
 
 5. God the Christian's Protector and Guide ... ... ... 57 
 
 6. The Word of God 58 
 
 7. God's Mercy and Protection displayed in the Hours of Darkness 60 
 
 8. God the best Friend 61 
 
 9. The Christian expresses his sure Persuasion of the Groundwork 
 
 of his Hope and Faith 63 
 
 10. All that Man possesses is the Gift of the Omnipotent 64 
 
 11. Watchfulness of the Heart 66 
 
 12. Self-Meditation, and the Knowledge of the final Destination of 
 
 the Soul 68 
 
 13. Danger of Procrastination in the Path to Heaven 69 
 
 14. Wisdom and Understanding, not Wealth and Superfluity, the 
 proper Objects of Prayer ... ... ... ... ... 71 
 
 15. The Sleep of the Body compared to the Torpor of the Soul, with 
 
 an Invocation to the Spirit to awake from Slumber ... ... 72 
 
 16. The Dedication of the Heart to Christ 74 
 
 17. The Immensity of Jesus' Love to Man 75 
 
 18. Gethsemane 77 
 
 19. Jesus praying for his Enemies ought to inspire us with mutual 
 Kindness and Forgiveness ... ... ... ... ... 78 
 
 20. Christ's Sufferings 80 
 
 21. The Obligation laid upon us, by the Death of the Saviour, to for- 
 
 sake Sin 81 
 
 22. Man bound in Duty, through the Demeanour of Christ, to the 
 
 Exercise of brotherly Affection .. 83 
 
 23. The Sinner seeking Refuge in the Sanctuary of the Cross ... 85 
 
 24. The Christian reflects that for him the Saviour died ... 86 
 
 25. The Cross the Teacher of the Soul 87 
 
 26. The Constant Remembrance of Christ 89 
 
 27. Man rendered unworthy of the precious Blood of the Redeemer, 
 through the unchristian Feelings of Anger and Revenge ... 91 
 
 28. The Horror of that Self-reproach which tells the Sinner that for 
 
 him the Death of the Redeemer has been in vain 92 
 
 29. Misspent Time 93 
 
 MARCH. 
 
 1. The Blessedness of Heaven 95 
 
 2. Jesus the only Comfort under Sin in the Hour of Death ... 96 
 
 3. Lessons of high Import drawn from the awful Passion of the 
 
 holy Saviour ... ... ... ... ... ... 97 
 
CONTENTS. ix 
 
 DAY . PAGE 
 
 4. Peter and Judas, or Self-confidence condemned 99 
 
 5. Glorying in the Cross 100 
 
 6. Resolution to follow Jesus 102 
 
 7. Victory over Death and the Grave 103 
 
 8. Instigation to Self-amendment through the Contemplation of the 
 
 holy Life of Jesus 105 
 
 9. Christ's Agony on the Cross ... ... ... ... ... 105 
 
 10. The Glory of Heaven 107 
 
 11. The Christian taught perfect Love by the Pattern and Conduct of 
 
 Jesus 108 
 
 1 2. The Assistance of God in the fulfilling of the Soul's pious Deter- 
 
 minations humbly implored ... ... ... ... ...110 
 
 13. The Consolation that God is always near us ... ... ... Ill 
 
 14. Trust and Faith in the Lord 112 
 
 15. Gratitude for the inestimable Advantages of being born a Chris- 
 
 tian ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... 114 
 
 16. Thanks for the Refreshment and Repose of the past Night ... 115 
 
 17. The Joys of the Kingdom of Jesus 117 
 
 18. The Shortness of Life 118 
 
 19. The Different Effects of God's Universal Presence and Universal 
 
 Knowledge as they regard the Good and the Impious Man 119 
 
 20. God's Glory, Greatness, and Mercy 121 
 
 21. The Christian Pilgrim entreats the Saviour to lead him on his 
 
 Way 122 
 
 22. God's Beneficence beyond all Recompense 124 
 
 23. Mourning over his numerous Transgressions, the Christian suppli- 
 
 cates the further Indulgence of his God ... ... ... 126 
 
 24. Man's Frailty magnifies God's Compassion ... ... ... 127 
 
 25. The Salvation of his Soul the only truly important Object of a 
 
 Christian's Solicitude 129 
 
 26. The Blessings of Religion and its Claims 130 
 
 27. God addressed as the Searcher of the Heart 131 
 
 28. The earthly Happiness of the Pious infinitely superior to that of 
 
 the Votaries of the World 133 
 
 29. God's Holiness and Righteousness 134 
 
 30. Contemplation of Death 136 
 
 31. The perpetual and swift Vicissitude to which every mundane 
 
 Object is inevitably subject 137 
 
 APRIL. 
 
 1. Supplication for the Continuance of God's LongsufFering and 
 
 Pity 139 
 
 2. Petition in behalf of our afflicted Brethren 140 
 
 3. Resignation to God's Dispensation ... ... ... ... 142 
 
 4. The Delightfulness of Devotion, and its salutary Influence ... 141 
 
 5. Consciousness of God's Favour the strongest Consolation ... 145 
 
 6. Life to be measured not by Number of Years, but by Virtue and 
 
 good Actions ... ... ... ... ... ... 146 
 
 7. The Day of Judgment 147 
 
X CONTENTS 
 
 DAY PAGE 
 
 8. The Heart proved 149 
 
 9. The Christian, acknowledging God the Ruler of his Destiny, looks 
 
 forward to the World to come .. ... ... ... 150 
 
 10. Violation of Vows made to God 151 
 
 11. The wonderful Structure of the Human Frame 153 
 
 12. Praises of God the Creator 155 
 
 13. The World incapable of bestowing real or lasting Tranquillity 156 
 
 14. The Duty of constantly contemplating the Merits of the Re- 
 
 deemer ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... 158 
 
 15. Enumeration of past Mercies ... ... ... ... ... 160 
 
 16. Obligation to praise God 161 
 
 17. Resolutions of Holiness 163 
 
 18. The Happiness of belonging entirely to God ... ... ... 164 
 
 19. God's Goodness endureth for ever ... ... ... ... 165 
 
 20. Gratitude to God for the Power of knowing and worshipping 
 
 Him 167 
 
 21. Trust to be put in God, not in Man 168 
 
 22. Daily Duties 170 
 
 23. Petition for the Inspiration of the Holy Spirit 171 
 
 24. The Sun 173 
 
 25. Christ's Benevolence and Love ... ... ... ... 174 
 
 26. Resurrection to Bliss 176 
 
 27. The Condition of Man 177 
 
 28. Blessedness of the Time spent in Communion with God ... 178 
 
 29. Reliance on God, and Resignation to his Will 180 
 
 30. Self-examination at the Close of the Month 181 
 
 MAY. 
 
 1. The Spring Morning ... ... ... ... 183 
 
 2. Conviction of God's Providence ... ... ... ... ... 184 
 
 3. The Voice of God in Expostulations, Warnings, and Chastise- 
 
 ments 186 
 
 4. The Nature of the Soul 187 
 
 5. The Misery of Man abandoned to himself 189 
 
 6. Clinging to the Lord as our Defender, Father, and Guide ... 190 
 
 7. Peace of the Soul 192 
 
 8. Amendment of Life 193 
 
 9. The Omnipresence of God 194 
 
 10. The following the Example of Jesus 1 96 
 
 11. God's unceasing Affection towards his Children ... ... 197 
 
 12. Daily Blessings 198 
 
 13. The Providence and Equity of God justified 200 
 
 14 Calculation of lost Hours 201 
 
 15. The Satisfaction arising from Prayer ... ... ... ... 203 
 
 16. The Christian's Courage supported under all Calamities by Confi- 
 
 dence in God 204 
 
 17. The proper Employment of the Soul's Faculties 205 
 
 18. Irresolution and Want of Constancy in good Purposes ... ... 207 
 
 19. The wonders of the Night, and Value of Sleep 208 
 
CONTENTS XI 
 DAY PAGE 
 
 20. Fluctuation of Time and temporal Things 210 
 
 21. Consolation arising from the Transitoriness of Affliction, as well 
 
 as of Joy 212 
 
 22. Beauty of the Creation 213 
 
 23. The Christian's Inquiry into the Number of his future Days 215 
 
 24. The natural Helplessness of Man. ' 216 
 
 25. Our worldly Interests cease with Death 218 
 
 26. Anticipation of the Future rendered joyful by an approving Retro- 
 
 spect of the Past 219 
 
 27. Necessity of being wholly devoted to God ... ... ... 220 
 
 28. Gratitude to the Creator 221 
 
 29. The Christian's Destiny and Vocation 222 
 
 30. Address to God under his various Attributes ... ... ... 223 
 
 31. Reflections on the elapsed Month 225 
 
 JUNE. 
 
 1. The Assurance of God's Divine Providence dispels Cares, and for- 
 
 tifies against Temptation ... ... ... ... ... 226 
 
 2. Contemplation of Nature ... ... ... ... .. 227 
 
 3. Angels the Ministers of God's Goodness ... ... 228 
 
 4. The Necessity and Efficacy of Prayer 230 
 
 5. Comparison of our own Condition with that of others ... ... 231 
 
 6. The Contemplation of God's boundless Love ... ... 233 
 
 7- Longing after Tranquillity and Rest ... ... ... ... 234 
 
 8. Reflections on the Omnipresence and Omniscience of the Al- 
 
 mighty 236 
 
 9. Scrutiny into the secret Motives of our Conduct ... ... ... 237 
 
 10. Homage towards God excited by his Works ... 238 
 
 11. Search after Happiness 240 
 
 12. The Thought of Death 242 
 
 13. Hardness of Heart Incompatible with the Christian Profession ... 243 
 
 14. Faithfulness of the Lord towards those who truly worship Him 245 
 
 15. Contemplations of Futurity ... ... ... ... ... 240 
 
 16. Adoration of God 248 
 
 17. Man's Efforts futile without the Divine Aid 249 
 
 18. All is Vanity 250 
 
 19. The Duty of Humility 252 
 
 20. The Knowledge of Truth derived from God and his Holy Scrip- 
 
 tures 253 
 
 21.. Time and Eternity 254 
 
 22. God's Power and Blessings everywhere conspicuous ... ... 255 
 
 23. Intercourse with God 257 
 
 24. Faith in Jesus the certain Source of Peace ... ... ... 258 
 
 25. Reflections on Sleep 260 
 
 26. Transitoriness of all worldly Prosperity 261 
 
 27. Value of Godliness 262 
 
 28. Life a Period of Probation 264 
 
 29. Faith and Hope in God 265 
 
 30. The Close of Life suggested by the Termination of the Month ... 267 
 
 [UFIYBESITT) 
 
XII CONTENTS. 
 
 JULY. 
 
 DAY PAGE 
 
 1. The Preservation of Life ascribed to God 268 
 
 2. Calamity and Woe inseparable from Mortality ... ... 270 
 
 3. Happines of celestial Spirits ... ... ... ... ... 271 
 
 4. Proofs of a Life to come 273 
 
 5. The Necessity of remembering our "Weakness and Imperfection 275 
 
 6. Man's Un worthiness compared with God's Goodness ... ... 276 
 
 7. Fidelity to God and Man 278 
 
 8. The Benefit of Faith and of Confidence in God 279 
 
 9. The manifold Failings and Diseases of the Soul and Body ... 281 
 
 10. The Christian's Boast 283 
 
 11. The Love and Charity of Jesus 284 
 
 12. All God's Dispensations are good 286 
 
 13. Praise and Adoration of Jesus 287 
 
 14. Acknowledgment of Divine Favours ... ... ... ... 289 
 
 15. Parallel between the Pains and Pleasures of Life 290 
 
 16. The Spirit and Grace of God implored against Sin ... ... 292 
 
 17. The Duty of loving God 293 
 
 18. The Beauties of early Morning 295 
 
 19. Care for the Life to come 296 
 
 20. False Estimate of the Means of Happiness 297 
 
 21. The true Importance of Life 299 
 
 22. Reflections on the Briefness, Vanity, and Toilsomeness of tem- 
 
 poral Existence ... ... ... ... ... ... ... 300 
 
 23. Moderation to be observed in our Petitions to Heaven ... 302 
 
 24. God proclaimed both through the natural and the spiritual 
 
 World 304 
 
 25. Dignity and Value of the Christian Calling 305 
 
 26. Morning Meditation a fit Preparation for the Duties of the Day 307 
 
 27. Recourse to God under Need and Affliction 308 
 
 28. God's Blessing indispensable to Success in our Undertakings 310 
 
 29. Prayer for Aid to renounce carnal Affections, and for Devoted- 
 
 ness to God 311 
 
 30. God's Government and Assistance always requisite to Man ... 313 
 
 31. On an unorofitable Lapse of Time ... ... ... ... 314 
 
 AUGUST. 
 
 1. The Invariableness of God's Goodness ... ... ... ... 315 
 
 2. Every Man capable of promoting Righteousness in his own 
 
 Sphere, but must begin by correcting himself ... ... 317 
 
 3. The Duty of consecrating ourselves to God ... ... ...318 
 
 4. God's Provision for Man's Convenience and Support ... 320 
 
 5. Man a Pilgrim and Sojourner on Earth ... ... ... ... 321 
 
 6. The Sorrows of Repentance, and their Remedy 323 
 
 7. Motives for Contentment ... ... ... ... ... ... 324 
 
 8. Maxims of Wisdom 326 
 
 9. The Hope of Immortality a powerful Incitement to Piety ... 327 
 
CONTENTS. xiii 
 
 DAY PAG>: 
 
 10. Knowledge of Heaven and its Felicity 329 
 
 11. God's Goodness proclaimed by all the Works of Creation ... 330 
 
 12. The Christian prepared for every Vicissitude of Life ... ... 332 
 
 13. The Effects of secret Prayer and Devotion manifest themselves 
 
 in the public Aftairs of Life 333 
 
 14. Growth in Godliness compared with the Growth of natural Pro- 
 
 ductions ... ... ... ... 334 
 
 15. Happiness the universal Wish, and God's Aid implored for its 
 
 Attainment 336 
 
 16. Man unable to glorify God worthily by his Lips, must be the 
 
 more zealous to do so by his Actions ... ... ... ... 337 
 
 17. Duty of Watchfulness 339 
 
 18. Dangers of Life 341 
 
 19. The Promises of God stable and sure 342 
 
 20. Proofs of God's Goodness to ourselves 344 
 
 21. The Christian at the Feet of his Redeemer 345 
 
 22. Submission to the Will of God 346 
 
 23. The most secret Whispers of Prayer reach God, to whom our 
 
 Frame of Mind is accurately known ... ... ... ... 348 
 
 24. The different Ages of Man 349 
 
 25. Desire to Become v/orthy of God's Love and Mercy ... ... 351 
 
 26. Morning Meditations for the Soul 352 
 
 27. God All in All 354 
 
 28. Memorials of Decay and Death 355 
 
 29. Consolation of living under the Government of God ... ... 357 
 
 30. Glory in having the Lord for our God 358 
 
 31. Time and Judgment 360 
 
 SEPTEMBER. 
 
 1. Incitements to an entire Reliance on God ... ... ... 361 
 
 2. God's fatherly Care and Affection ... 362 
 
 3. Reflections on our mortal Dissolution ... ... ... 364 
 
 4. Prayer for God's Compassion and Protection ... ... ... 365 
 
 5. Retrospect of Life 567 
 
 6. Awakening from Death 368 
 
 7. The true value of terrestrial Things 370 
 
 8. Advantages bestowed upon us in preference to our Fellow-creatures 371 
 
 9. The Grace and Influence of Prayer 373 
 
 10. God's Indulgence and Readiness to forgive leads the Christian to 
 
 confess his Errors, and to seek the Divine Aid ... ... 374 
 
 11. Man's Attachment to the Things of this World 376 
 
 12. Futile Cares with which Man idly torments himself ... 377 
 
 13. Friendship considered with reference to God 378 
 
 14. An Address of Thanksgiving and universal Prayer ... ... 380 
 
 15. Awaking from Sleep 382 
 
 16. The true Application of Life 383 
 
 17. Thanksgiving for Repose during Sleep, and Health on awaking 385 
 
 18. Contemplation of Christ's Agony 386 
 
XIV CONTENTS. 
 
 DAV PAGE 
 
 19. The Departure of the Beauties of Summer 388 
 
 20. Proof of Man's destined Immortality 389 
 
 21. The Christian's Gain, Pleasure, Honour, and Efforts ... 391 
 
 22. The Happiness that endureth for ever 392 
 
 23. The Christian compares himself to a Child 394 
 
 24. Nothing can compensate the Loss of the Soul ... ... ... 395 
 
 25. Lost Time irretrievable 396 
 
 26. Supplication for Grace 398 
 
 27. Adoration of the Angels 399 
 
 28. Comparison between the natural Harvest and the Fruits of the 
 
 Spirit 401 
 
 29. Readiness for Death and Eternity 402 
 
 30. Review of the elapsed Month 404 
 
 OCTOBER. 
 
 1. The Necessity for, and Comfort of Divine Aid 405 
 
 2. Confidence in Divine Succour ... ... ... ... ... 407 
 
 3. The Sacrifices enjoined by Christianity compared with its Re- 
 
 wards 408 
 
 4. The Value of a good Name after Death 409 
 
 5. Spiritual Perils 411 
 
 6. Contempt of God's Grace 412 
 
 7. The present World only a State of Trial 414 
 
 8. Unjustifiableness of our Complaints and Murmurings 415 
 
 9. Reflections on the Alternation of Day and Night ... ... 417 
 
 10. Human Wisdom contrasted with Divine ... ... ...418 
 
 11. The Mysteriousness of God's Ordinances and Dispensations ... 420 
 
 12. Time to be employed in Preparation for Eternity ... ... 421 
 
 13. Admiration of the Works of the Creator 423 
 
 14. The Lot appointed for every one, the best for him ... ... 424 
 
 15. Godliness and Worldliness at Variance with each other ... 426 
 
 16. Offerings of Thanksgiving to God 427 
 
 17. The Approach of Winter 429 
 
 18. The present and the future State 431 
 
 19. The Wonders of the human Frame 432 
 
 20. God's universal Providence ... ... ... ... ... 433 
 
 21. The unfeeling Sinner 435 
 
 22. The Day of Judgment 436 
 
 23. Reflections on an added Day of Life 438 
 
 24. Of past Follies 439 
 
 25. God addressed as the all-wise and beneficent Creator ... 440 
 
 26. Instability of the World, of the Heart, and of temporal Peace ... 442 
 
 27. Christ, the Shepherd 444 
 
 28. Instant Dedication of Oneself to God's Service 445 
 
 29. Reasons for perfect Resignation to God ... ... ... 446 
 
 30. Necessity for spiritual Vigilance ... ... ... 448 
 
 31. The different Recollections of different Men at the Close of the 
 
 Month .}. 449 
 
CONTENTS. XV 
 
 NOVEMBER. 
 
 DAY PAGE 
 
 1. The Sinner's Comfort 451 
 
 2. The Emptiness of Honour, Riches, and Prosperity ... ... 452 
 
 3. The Weakness of the Heart 453 
 
 4. Time not sufficiently valued ... ... .. ... ... 454 
 
 5. Working out Salvation ... ... ... ... ... 456 
 
 6. Duty of being prepared for Death ... ... ... ... 457 
 
 7. The proper Estimate of Life 459 
 
 8. On the Baptismal Vows 460 
 
 9. The prosperity of the Ungodly not to be envied ... ... 462 
 
 10. Sins of Youth 463 
 
 11. The Wonders of the Heavens, and the Mysteries of Salvation 464 
 
 12. Consolation under the Weaknesses of our bodily Nature ... 465 
 
 13. The Danger of Earthly Joys and Prosperity 467 
 
 14. Ignorance of the Future 468 
 
 15. The Misery of deferred Repentance 470 
 
 16. Supplication for the Influence of the Holy Spirit 471 
 
 17. Mortality 473 
 
 18. The Prospect of eternal Felicity 474 
 
 19. The Connexion of the present Life with that which is everlasting 476 
 
 20. The Duty of loving God 477 
 
 21. Man's vain Desires ... ... ... ... 478 
 
 22. Reflections suggested by shortening Days ... ... ... 480 
 
 23. The Christian's Joyfulness 481 
 
 24. God's Care to promote our Salvation ... ... ... ... 483 
 
 25. Proper Estimate of the World 484 
 
 26. The Shortness of the Period allotted for our Preparation for 
 
 Eternity 486 
 
 27. Winter as well as Summer proclaims the gracious Presence of the 
 
 Deity 487 
 
 28. Praise of the Divine Benevolence 489 
 
 29. Love towards God and Jesus ... ... ... ... ... 490 
 
 30. Life and Death separated by a narrow Boundary ... ... 491 
 
 DECEMBER. 
 
 1. Tranquil Anticipation of the Future 493 
 
 2. Our Contemplations to be raised from the Creation to the Creator 494 
 
 3. The Consecration of our entire Faculties to God 496 
 
 4. The Happiness of being a real Christian ... ... ... 497 
 
 5. Gratitude to, and Reliance on, God ... ... ... ... 499 
 
 6. The Sin of Discontentment 500 
 
 7. The present World only a State of Trial 502 
 
 8. Reverence and Adoration due to God ... ... ... 503 
 
 9. Resolution to perform the Duties of the Day 504 
 
 10. Aspiring after Heaven ... ... ... ... ... ... 506 
 
 11. The best-spent Life the longest 507 
 
 12. Godliness preferable to all other Possessions 508 
 
XVI CONTENTS. 
 
 DAY PAGE 
 
 13. Thanks for the Divine Protection during the Night 509 
 
 14. The Winter Season 511 
 
 15. The Fewness and Sorrowfulness of the Days of Man ... 512 
 
 16. Prayer for spiritual Gifts 514 
 
 17. The Joy of the Heart 515 
 
 1 8. True and inexhaustible Sources of Joy 517 
 
 19. Incitements to Amendment and Repentance, and the Necessity for 
 
 both 518 
 
 20. A grateful and affectionate Spirit well-pleasing to the Lord ... 520 
 
 21. Christian Humiliation before God ... ... ... ... 521 
 
 22. Review of the various Blessings received from God during the 
 
 Year 522 
 
 23. The Consummation of the Christian Faith 524 
 
 24. The Blessings attending the Coming of the Saviour 525 
 
 25. The Birth of Christ 527 
 
 2G. The Mystery of the Redemption 528 
 
 27. The Merits of Jesus 529 
 
 28. The Bitterness of Life, and the Frailty of human Nature, taken 
 
 away by Christ 531 
 
 29. Life to be devoted to providing for Eternity 532 
 
 30. The Heart called to its Account for Time 533 
 
 31. Thanks for the Mercies experienced during the Course of the 
 
 elapsed Year 535 
 
MORNING COMMUNINGS 
 WITH GOD. 
 
 JANUARY 1. 
 
 Acknowledgment to God for the Mercy of prolonged 
 Existence. 
 
 THE goodness of my heavenly Father permits me again to 
 behold the commencement of a new year ; yet longer on this 
 earth shall I enjoy his mercy, and possess the opportunity 
 of preparing myself with increased care and fidelity for his 
 celestial kingdom. O how unfortunate should I have been, 
 if with yesterday the period of my trial and probation for 
 eternity had finished ! Yet, to my soul's salvation does the 
 Lord of my days prolong my life a few hours. I have still 
 time to reflect on the days which yesterday fled for ever ; 
 those days of salvation, which I have not always wisely and 
 dutifully spent, or at least not constantly employed accord- 
 ing to the views of God. No one of them returns ; but the 
 sorrowful recollection of them will sooner or later arrive, 
 will represent to me my errors in lively colours, and occa- 
 sion me unspeakable anguish. How many hours and days 
 of this precious season of trial have I dissipated and lost 
 either in idleness, or culpable enjoyment ! O ! with what 
 bitter remorse shall I hereafter, when my final hour is come, 
 think of this squandered time, how anxiously desire to 
 have it back ! But in order to avoid this last grievous tor- 
 ment, I will now devote the first morning of the early year 
 to the retrospection of my past life ; I will profit by the 
 present hours in order to make a prudent use of the future 
 term of my pilgrimage. 
 
V MORNING COMMUN1NGS 
 
 Yet how can I speak of future days while the passing 
 moments are so uncertain, and I dare scarcely call this 
 immediate minute my own property ! No, this instant must 
 be as judiciously employed, as I have to wish that my whole 
 life had been. 
 
 This minute is short, but yet long enough to display to 
 me my negligence, my insensibility, and my unthankfulness. 
 Beloved Father, grant me a wise heart to consider the value 
 of time, and a willing heart to use it according to its worth. 
 If I do not prize the minutes of my existence, neither shall 
 I regard hours and days ; arid even on one single minute 
 often depends the fate of all the days that are before us. 
 Thou demandest as severe an account of one mispent minute, 
 as of the half century which I have spent to no purpose. 
 
 Here my soul trembles. God, my God, be gracious unto 
 me. When all the days of my existence rush into my me- 
 mory; when thou callest me to a reckoning concerning them, 
 and I am obliged to stand mute ; in the last hour of my 
 life ; under thy strict decisive judgment, be thou gracious 
 unto me ; for Jesus' sake, be thou gracious unto me ! 
 
 God, thou seest beforehand, how I shall employ this year 
 of which I now hail the first mornirg. Thou foreknowest 
 the sins which I shall commit, the temptations to which I 
 shall be exposed, and the sufferings which I shall have to 
 endure. In all these various circumstances be thou gracious 
 to me. If I transgress, chastise me not in thy wrath; 
 when I am tempted, let me not be overcome ; when I suffer, 
 have compassion upon me. God, be thou my help, my 
 comfort, my aim, and my guide. I recommend myself to 
 thy good guidance. Be my God in life and in death. O 
 God, be thou also my God in eternity. 
 
 JANUARY 2 
 
 Eternity the Scope of Life. 
 
 Mr destination is the most impoitant and the most exalted. 
 The whole world with its changes and vicissitudes, my own 
 condition, the brief period of my stay on this earth, the 
 
WITH GOD. 3 
 
 fleetness of the present minute, in fine, every tiling announce* 
 to me this fact, that I am intended for eternity. But yet 
 more certain is my conviction, when I consider myself as 
 one of the redeemed of Jesus. All the sufferings which my 
 Saviour felt, all the benefits which through his atonement 
 he has procured for me, are so many proofs that my soul 
 belongs to eternity. I rejoice beyond utterance when I re- 
 fiect upon this happiness. But how deeply am I forced to 
 bewail many of my brethren, who, unmindful of their heavenly 
 calling, go on amid the enjoyments of sensuality and fail in 
 their appointment. 
 
 Still these unfortunate beings mistake their own true value, 
 nor know their real happiness ! Only forget not, thou, my 
 soul, that thou li vest, for eternity. When thy weak heart 
 entices thee to sin, forget not that the deceitful gratifications 
 of vice are unsuitable for those who know the ambition of an 
 everlasting existence. When thou standest still in the way 
 of godliness, when thou art weary, or wouldst even draw 
 back, O ! then forget not that the path of virtue ends in the 
 happiest manner in eternity. When the troubles of this life 
 would render thee fearful and dismayed, then forget not that 
 it is shame and misery to sacrifice to them the joys of eter- 
 nity. And when at length thou castest off the mortal cover- 
 ing, forget not then that the eternity to which death conveys 
 thee, is a complete indemnification for such a loss. 
 
 Be therefore this higher life to which I am destined my 
 constant aiQ; and let the remembrance of this my destiny fit 
 me properly to employ that time on which, however long or 
 short it shall be, the happiness or the unhappiness of eter- 
 nity rests. Carefully therefore will I estimate it ; and will 
 judge all my actions according to the value which they may 
 have in eternity. Far be it from me to confine myself, with 
 my wishes and endeavours, merely to this transitory and un- 
 certain life. Father of eternity, teach me this wisdom, in- 
 stil it deeply into my soul, that I am created and redeemed 
 for eternity. What were I, if I knew not this? What were 
 my life how frigntful would be my death, if I believed not 
 this? But the carnal possessions of this world often stifle 
 these high ideas. Thou must thyself, O God, call them forth 
 and maintain them in my soul. Thou must give me grace, 
 that eternity be not only heard on my lips, but that it be 
 
4 MORNING COMMUNINGS 
 
 profoundly and indelibly engraven on my heart. And for 
 this favour do I entreat thee, kind and everlasting Parent. 
 Teach me to reflect teach me, this day, to reflect, that I 
 am a citizen of yon better world, and a child of eternity. 
 Even this day and each of its hours constitute a portion of 
 my period of preparation for my last change. If thou 
 governest me, then shall I employ these inestimable mo- 
 merits to my perpetual good, and under every temptation to 
 wickedness, under every suffering, under every trial, fortify 
 myself with the thought I LIVE HERE FOR ETERNITY. 
 
 JANUARY 3. 
 
 God's Perfections and Love. 
 
 WHAT adoration dost thou deserve, God, my Creator, for 
 having given me a soul capable of acknowledging thee! 
 How greatly hast thou herein exalted me above many of thy 
 creatures! How insignificant am I, when I compare my- 
 self with those bodies which thy almighty hand has fixed in 
 the immeasurable vault of the heavens ? yet how important 
 do I appear to myself, when I reflect, that these splendid 
 masses can neither comprehend their own beauty, nor the ex- 
 cellency of their Maker ! Each production of the animal king- 
 dom magnifies thy greatness, O God! but the spirit which 
 thou hast, granted to me, and which knows thee and honours 
 thee, proclaims yet more perfectly thy wise omnipotence. 
 Every plant is an image of thy infinite power : but it knows 
 thee not. I however know thee, and I know too that I am thy 
 image. Yet would that my soul might clearly see likewise 
 its own worth, and thankfully value it ! How great, my 
 God, how highly favoured am I, that I possess the capacity 
 to acknowledge thee ; that heaven and earth, and all that is 
 therein, announce to me thy supremacy, and that I am able 
 to feel this thy unparalleled superiority ! It is an incalcu- 
 lable privilege for me, that I am a participator in such 
 happiness. But render it also my delight, thou source of 
 perfection, to confess thee and to reverence thee. To ac- 
 knowledge thee, the true God, and thy Son, Jesus Christ, my 
 
WITH GOD. 5 
 
 Mediator, be this my chief employment, my only wisdom. 
 How unsearcnably hast thou loved me in thy Son! This 
 love, which passeth all knowledge, let me fully perceive, 
 and worthily praise. In every benefit and in every chas- 
 tisement, thou permittest me to recognise in thee my Friend 
 and my Father. How should I do otherwise than listen to 
 thy voice, and turn my heart to thee full of thankfulness and 
 reverence ? How should I not love thee, who art even love 
 itself? But I am amazed at my own insensibility. My 
 whole life displays to me so many, such countless proofs of thy 
 affection and I, void of love and ungrateful, how coldly 
 do I regard them ! How indifferent is my heart, which thy 
 love ought to inflame ! So many invitations have been made 
 to me to love thee and I, unmoved, have slighted them all ! 
 O God, I vow to thee, with shame and repentance, that I will 
 now henceforward receive thy bounties with sincere thankful- 
 ness, and show my self more worthy of thy beneficence. 
 
 Even this day, I humbly trust in thy mercy, will riot be 
 destitute of the evidences of thy compassionate tenderness. 
 And even this is a gift of love, that I am still able to breathe, 
 to move, and to live, both for the w6rld and for heaven. 
 But I shall receive yet stronger testimonies of thy faithful- 
 ness. Thy patience will still bear with me to-day ; thy provi- 
 dence will watch over me and rny existence ; thy Spirit will 
 produce in my heart the earnest will, and the upright accom- 
 plishment of good works; Jesus will be my Advocate before 
 thee ; and thou wilt fill my soul with nourishment and joy. 
 All this, and whatever else is needful for my happiness, do I, 
 relying upon thee, expect from thy inexhaustible benevolence. 
 Arid should even suffering be the portion which thou to-day 
 appointest to me, I will still denominate it goodness ; and in 
 the bad as well as the fair season, boast and acknowledge 
 thy parental constancy. Only manifest to me, true and mer- 
 ciful Father, this grace, that I may discover thee in all the 
 dispensations of thy favour, and love thee with my whole 
 heart. And should this day conduct me to eternity, then let 
 me depart in thy knowledge, and in the faith arid love of 
 my Redeemer, and pass into that world, where to know thee 
 and to adore thee will be our highest blessedness. 
 
MORNING COMMUNINGS 
 
 JANUARY 4. 
 
 The Christian s Happiness and Fate rest with 
 the Deity. 
 
 WHAT indeed is there that can disquiet my bosom, if with a 
 grateful and satisfied heart I enjoy the present, and in regard to 
 the future, place my hope in God ? He knows all my wants, 
 and possesses likewise th.- 1 means of relieving them. His 
 mercy will not deny me that which is really salutary for me. 
 Why should I confide my welfare to men, who are even as 
 perishable as that welfare which I expect from the))) ? Why 
 should I pass my days in anxiety ? My prosperity is in the 
 hands of the Lord : he has already fixed the hour when it 
 shall arrive: he has already determined its duration, and 
 how long I shall be glad in it. Trust in him, O my soul, 
 and resign thyself to his wise and gracious governance, 
 which orders all things for thy true benefit. 
 
 But the future ! O ! how sorrowful am I often when 
 I look forward to it!' How much trouble, perhaps, awaits 
 me in the day when I shall be old and hoary ! What if my 
 friends, who are now my comfort, desert me? or what, if 
 a long and painful sickness destroy my health ? Perhaps 
 poverty, contempt, and various other miseries are to imbitter 
 the peace of my remaining days ! Cowardly heart! where- 
 fore this solicitude ! The events of the future rest with God : 
 he that rules all destinies has appointed thy fate to thee too. 
 And what destiny, except that which is the most profitable 
 for thee, can b 1 anticipated from him ? Granting even that 
 in the future such occurrences as are disagreeable crowd 
 into thy space of life : yet still will they be advantageous, 
 since for wise purposes they will be allotted to thee by thy 
 Father. And what avail thy melancholy presentiments? 
 Can they arrest the misfortune which thou seest afar off, or 
 alleviate its accompanying grievances? Leave the future to 
 the Lord. The lot which he has for thee is the best and the 
 happiest; and if still any care concerning the future affect 
 thee, then think of death, the grave, and judgment. Labour 
 only for the salvation of thy soul, which depends upon thy- 
 self j and choose the path that leadeth to that most desirable 
 
 
WITH GOD. 7 
 
 attainment. Yet even in this point also has thy Father been 
 provident for thee. He has destined to thee a blessed im- 
 mortality, and through Jesus assured it to thee: walk there- 
 fore as it becomes a being to whom so high a destiny is ap- 
 pointed. Live in the faith of the Son of God, and in the 
 hope of a happy consummation : then will the future have 
 nothing in it alarming for thee. 
 
 God, and Father of my life, I thank thee for this consola- 
 tion. The belief that my happiness, both in this and in 
 the other world, lies in thy keeping, shall fully tranquillize 
 my mind ! To thee do I look for every thing : for every 
 portion of my existence, and for this day also, wilt thou ap- 
 point to me so much as is actually needful for my felicity. 
 I will accept every thing thankfully from thy hands ; even 
 the cup of woe, which thou inayst, perhaps, present to me, 
 will I drink cheerfully, and say, as my Jesus said, " Thy 
 will be done ! " With these sentiments will I proceed, full of 
 comfort, and trust in the way in which thou commandest me 
 to go. Thou wilt likewise, throughout the rest of my life, 
 continue to be my God and my Saviour. I trust in thy 
 omnipotent goodness. Thou wilt make all well. 
 
 JANUARY 5 
 
 The amazing Goodness of the Lord. 
 
 How great, Father, is thy goodness ! I cannot express it : 
 but I will adore it, and admire it. I cannot comprehend its 
 infinite immensity ; but I will consider my own nothingness, 
 my own poverty, my own unworthiness, in which it so ex- 
 ceedingly exalts itself. The smaller I become in my own 
 eyes, the greater will the goodness of my God appear. Lord, 
 who am I, that thou so favourest me ? In the dust must 
 I worship thee, since I myself am only dust and ashes. I 
 strive with all my powers to contemplate thy goodness that 
 goodness which is the theme of the songs of praise of the 
 whole heavens. My soul is amazed at this contemplation. 
 Where shall I begin to glorify thee? or where shall I find 
 the boundary at which I can cease ? Unlimited beneficence ! 
 
8 MORNING COM MUNI XGS 
 
 thy kindness has no commencement : thy mercy has no 
 end. While yet the world was not, even then did it already 
 exist ; ere I yet was, even then did it already occupy itself 
 with my wellbeing. And what did it not do, when at length 
 I entered into the world? What does it not still do for me? 
 What will it not hereafter do for me ? Everlasting Deity ! who 
 can conceive thy goodness? who can relate thy wonders ? 
 
 I, who am by nature so little, so poor, so despicable, so 
 wretched, so perishable, through thy goodness am rendered 
 thus great, thus rich, thus honoured, thus happy, thus im- 
 mortal. God, I am a miracle to myself, when I consider 
 myself. My soul is thy gift; this soul that thinks of thee, that 
 fears thee, and loves thee. Thy gift also is the immortality 
 to which it is destined. Thy mercy too is it, that I can 
 serve thee with a contented spirit, and honour thee with a 
 tranquil heart. Thy goodness supports my faculties; it 
 maintains my energies ; it crowns my life ; it prospers my 
 ways. Lord, what I was, what I am, and what I shall here- 
 after be, is all thy gift, is all thy goodness. 
 
 Meditate, O my soul, and ponder upon the richness of the 
 goodness of God. Renew every moment thy remembrance 
 of that mercy that has raised thee out of thy nothingness to 
 so exalted a condition ; think of this especially, whenever thy 
 proud heart would seduce thee to mistake thy own mean- 
 ness and the eminent dignity of thy Maker. What wert 
 thou, if the All-beneficent had not compassion upon thee? 
 And what would all thy advantages avail, if the hand of the 
 Omnipotent, which vouchsafed them to thee, should not con- 
 tinue to preserve them for thee ? Through his compassion 
 art thou thus further advanced in the path of thy existence. 
 One morning more has the Lord prolonged the days of thy 
 pilgrimage, and the period of thy preparation for eternity. 
 Accomplish this day the affectionate designs of thy Preserver. 
 Glorify his goodness through every thing which thou shalt 
 this day undertake. Be every thought of thy soul, every 
 sentiment, every inclination of thy heart, directed to the 
 Lord, through whom thou art able to think and to feel. If 
 he grant thee to-day a quiet and satisfied mind, if he rescue 
 thy life from dangers and destruction, then think of him, then 
 love him, then glorify him. Yes, God of all kindness, it is 
 my earnest purpose to praise thee, both in my spirit and my 
 
WITH GOD. 9 
 
 iy, of which each alike is thy gift. Do thou guard me, 
 that, through unthankfulness and ungodliness, I render my- 
 self not unworthy of thy benevolence ; nor, amid the vast 
 number of thy benefits, forget thee, my Benefactor. Guided 
 by thy goodness, spared by thy compassion, protected by thy 
 providence, and blessed by thy beneficence, I will go boldly 
 forward in the course which thou hast prescribed to me, and 
 at every step, on the reception of every benefit, rejoice in thee 
 as in my propitiated Father. 
 
 JANUARY 6. 
 
 The Consideration of Christ's Sufferings an Antidote 
 against Disappointment. 
 
 WHEN I go with joyfulness and zeal to my daily occupa- 
 tions ; when, out of reverence and love to God, and out of an 
 earnest affection for my fellow-mortals, I perform, indefatiga- 
 bly and assiduously, that which duty and my profession de- 
 mands from me, to whom do I owe this pious disposition of 
 mind ? To thee, my Saviour, who hast both left for me a 
 pattern of love and fidelity, and gone before me in the way 
 that leads to God. How can I complain of the burdens of 
 my own calling, when I think of those thou hadstto endure, 
 and with what patience thou didst bear them ? How can I 
 sigh over the ingratitude of men, when I think how sorely 
 thy heart was wounded by human Blindness and unthankful- 
 ness ! How can I murmur, if God this day command me 
 to follow a rough path, when I consider how thorny the way 
 was that thou wast forced to pursue, and how faithful and 
 obedient thou didst continue even unto the death of the 
 cross ! Thus then will I look up to thee, when my pusil- 
 lanimous heart trembles, when my soul is sad, when 
 my courage is ready to sink. That thou disdainest not to 
 become like to us, and to endure the sorrows of life, this 
 reflection shall console and cheer me in every melancholy 
 hour, in every care-worn day. Do I live here, in this life 
 of trial, amidst a warfare that never ends, still I will not be 
 dismayed : for what might can overcome me, since thou 
 
10 MORNING COMMUNINGS 
 
 standest beside me, as an example of fortitude ? My life is 
 a complication of woes and troubles. But thy first healing 
 tears, thy lowly birth, thy despised appearance, thy deep hu- 
 miliation, O th'ou, for me, debased and suffering child these 
 render my misery supportable, and assuage the poignancy of 
 my pains. Immanuel ! my soul loses itself in these contem- 
 plations, O ! how then would it have been with me, if I 
 had beheld thee in this profound humility, and heard the 
 thanksgiving hymns of the angels thy servants ! Yet, my 
 soul, a greater happiness is in store for thee. Thou shalt see 
 him, even thy Saviour shalt thou see ! And if once thou 
 wouldst have shed tears of pity at his debasement, so shalt 
 thou hereafter at the spectacle of his elevation and his divine 
 greatness, exult with loudest jubilee. O Jesus, restorer of 
 blessednes-s, thou who wast born for me, lead me to that state 
 of joy, always to behold, and incessantly to worship thee. 
 But here^ so long as I am yet a pilgrim, here let me live 
 worthy of the dignity to which thou hast destined me. As 
 thou didst voluntarily strip thyself of thy divine majesty, so 
 give me grace to renounce the ungodliness and the lusts of 
 the world. Teach me, my Redeemer, to live for thee, since 
 thou for my good didst sacrifice thy entire earthly existence. 
 Then, too, when I draw near to my end,let me die to thee, who 
 didst die for me ; and, relying on thy merits, depart into that 
 better world which thou vouchsafedst to quit in order to win 
 it for me. As long as I live, the recollection of thy humble- 
 ness and thy faithfulness shall powerfully strengthen me in 
 belief in, and in love towards thee. I will extol thee by my 
 songs of praise, but yet more by my life. For thou, O my 
 God, and my Saviour, alone deservest honour and adoration, 
 glory and thanksgiving. 
 
 JANUARY 7. 
 
 Contemplating his Saviour'* Resignation and Patience, the 
 Christian resolves to imitate him. 
 
 How were it possible, that amid such powerful incentives to 
 godliness, I could remain insensible ? But yet, how often 
 
WITH GOD. 11 
 
 does my heart contemn all these encouragements? Neither 
 the example of the blessed spirits, nor the conduct of my 
 Saviour, tempt me to pursue the way in which life and feli- 
 city are found. But be it enough, that for so long a time I 
 have neglected my real good ! This new day is a new in- 
 citement to me to select the path of holiness. I am deter- 
 mined to follow it : but, O God, do thou thyself show me 
 the track in which I ought to go, and rule my steps that I 
 may abide in the same. Teach me to act according to thy 
 pleasure, and let thy good Spirit carry mo along in the 
 straight way. 
 
 Under thy gracious guidance, O my God, I desire thus 
 to tread the course to which thy will and my salvation call 
 me. But where, in the instability and obstinacy of my heart, 
 shall I obtain the power that may render me ready and fit 
 to walk in the prescribed direction ? I see beforehand how 
 often I shall stumble, become weary, fall, stand still, or even 
 turn back. O then, if my heart is thus weak, let my soul 
 be strengthened and encouraged by the example of the 
 glorified spirits. Yet still more let the pattern of rny Saviour 
 influence me, who not only points out to me the road to heaven, 
 but has himself travelled it. And how thorny was the way 
 in which he went ! Yet was he never tired. With a ready 
 arid a patient heart did he hasten to do the will of his Father. 
 And I, shall I not imitate him? shall I shudder at the suf- 
 ferings which may chance to beset my pilgrimage ! No, I 
 will tread in the footsteps of my Mediator, and, as truly and 
 as constantly as he did, proceed in my appointed journey. 
 However small may be the number of my companions, I 
 will not forsake the route in which I have the angels for my 
 fellow-travellers, all the pious for my co-mates, and God 
 himself for a witness. Their society and their approbation 
 are more valuable to me than the intercourse and the ap- 
 phuise of the vicious. Hard as the duties of Christianity 
 may appear to my feeble heart, in the same degree will they 
 become easy to me, when I look up to thee in faith, thou 
 Prince of my salvation. 
 
 These are the resolutions with which I enter anew upon 
 the career which is this morning opened to me. But, O 
 God, fortify me and support me in my purpose ! That I 
 may continue true to virtue and sanctity, that I may not let 
 
12 MORNING COMMUNINGS 
 
 myself be seduced by the allurements of the world, but may 
 freely and manfully pursue my course, and may be well 
 pleasing to thee all this must thou thyself effect, thou Lord 
 and Father of my life. I supplicate thee on high for this 
 grace. O thou who hearest the petitions of thy children, let 
 me not proceed in my destination without thy guidance and 
 defence. Discover to me all the deceitful paths into which, 
 to my destruction, I might wander. Strengthen me when I 
 become languid ; sustain me when I totter ; aid me to rise 
 when I fall. Perhaps I have yet only a few paces to ad- 
 vance, and I shall approach to the close of my circuit, and 
 to the decision of my everlasting destiny. Yet, whether I 
 be still far distant from the appointed goal of my race, or 
 already near upon it, if only thou, my God and Saviour, 
 guide me, either circumstance will redound to my bliss. 
 
 JANUARY 8. 
 
 Man lives in the Presence of his Maker. 
 
 OMNIPRESENT ! I stand before thee and pray ! rejoicing 1 
 that thy eyes look upon me, that thou givest heed to my se- 
 cret supplication, and hearest my sighs. How happy am I, 
 that in every solitude, in every corner of the earth, thou art 
 near me ; that I am seen and regarded by thee ! But I 
 tremble at the same time, when I think, that thy all-search- 
 ing glance penetrates the depths of my heart, and discovers 
 the most concealed sentiments of my soul. O ! how much 
 wickedness wilt thou behold in this my heart ! How many 
 of my unknown sins wilt thou become acquainted with ! I 
 will not, I cannot deny to thee, thou searcher of the heart, 
 that I am a sinful being. There remains nothing for me 
 but to implore thy pity. God, let thy grace be nigh to 
 me. Thou seest me ; look then graciously upon me. Thou 
 hearest me; listen then propitiously to the groans and 
 wishes of my bosom. 
 
 Even this day shall I be observed by thee, O omniscient 
 God. Thou wilt be an eye-witness to all my actions. I 
 shall not be able to form an idea which thou wilt not know; 
 
WITH GOD. 13 
 
 to utter a speech which thou wilt not hear ; to do ought 
 which thou wilt not remark. With sacred awe do I now re- 
 flect upon thy omnipresence. Would that this reflection and 
 this awe might not vanish with the present moment ! Would 
 that I might have thee constantly in view, such as I now re- 
 present thee to my mind ! Yet what prevents me from re- 
 taining uninterruptedly this conception ? The lust of vanity, 
 the inclination of sin, the negligence of my heart, stifle every 
 such reflection in my soul. But I will strive, through thy 
 
 frace, O Lord, to vanquish these obstacles. I will imprint it 
 eeply in my memory, and constantly preserve the influence 
 of the recollection that I walk before thy countenance. 
 
 May the conviction of thy universal presence accompany 
 me into my solitude, and render every instant in which I am 
 occupied with thee still dearer to me ! Let the remembrance 
 of thee, the Omniscient, guard me from iniquity, and excite 
 me to the most faithful and cheerful exercise of virtue. O ! 
 what tranquillity will my spirit feel, when it becomes as- 
 sured, that thy eyes beam upon me with approbation ! Every 
 benefit that I bestow upon the needy, every tear that I wipe 
 away from the cheeks of my distressed brethren, every vic- 
 tory that I obtain over my passions, every pious deed that I 
 practise in stillness, thou, O Lord, notest and rewardest. 
 Thus, though no one should mark or value my integrity, yet 
 if thou only knowest it, I am happy and satisfied. It may 
 be also that no one perceives my sufferings and my secret an- 
 guish ; but I am already comforted when I reflect that thou, 
 
 God, countest my tears and regardest my sighs. And 
 could I then forget thee ? Ah ! no : my heart commands me 
 never to let thee depart from my eyes. With reverence will 
 
 1 always continue mindful of thee, that I may assure myseL 
 of thy gracious observance. And am I certain of thy favour, 
 then will every thing in this world conduce for the best in 
 regard to me. If my way is before thy face, then will even 
 the dark valley become light, and the flinty path agreeable. 
 Thus then let thy eyes watch me, have attention to my steps, 
 and graciously regard my life. Under thy providence no- 
 thing will be wanting to me ; but goodness and mercy follow 
 me all my life long. In eternity shall I yet thank thee, that 
 thou hast been my God and my Helper. 
 
14 MORNING COMMUNINGS 
 
 JANUARY 9. 
 
 The Greatness of God compared with the Insignificance of 
 Man. 
 
 NEVER do I more forcibly feel my own nothingness, than 
 when I contemplate thy greatness, O my God, and the great- 
 ness of thy benefits. How can I think of thee, thou essence 
 of all being, without perceiving at the same time that I am 
 only dust and ashes ? How can I regard thy benevolence, 
 without being sensible of my own unworthiness ? Lord, 
 what am I, that thou so graciously considerest me ? I am too 
 mean for all the mercy and all the faithfulness which from 
 the first instant of my life to the present hour thou hast ma- 
 nifested towards me. Where was there a minute void of thy 
 lovingkindness ? When did an hour elapse without the dis- 
 play of thy bountifulness ? What day has thy goodness not 
 distinguished ? When did a year ever pass away that pro- 
 claimed not to me thy paternal affection ? What is man, that 
 thou art so mindful of him ? or the race of men, that thou so 
 regardest them? Lord, I am struck with involuntary 
 amazement, when I reflect what I am become through thy 
 compassion. Out of my insignificance thou hast exalted me 
 to the dignity of human nature ; out of my neediness, to riches ; 
 out of my misery, to happiness ; out of my unworthiness, to 
 the honour of being thy child, and to the participation of thy 
 blessing. Me, who deserved to be nothing, poor, miserable, 
 and condemned me, has thy compassion in Christ Jesus so 
 eminently favoured ! Lord ! that which I am is thy grace. 
 Be thy overflowing mercifulness for ever praised and adored 
 by me ! As often as I contemplate it, will I extol it ; and 
 as often as I think of thee, will I revere thee. And what am 
 I, Lord, that I dare to worship thee? that thou, to whom all 
 heaven pays obeisance, despisest not the homage of a mortal ? 
 Infinite God ! while now I prostrate myself before thee, I 
 feel how great is the happiness and honour, that a worm may 
 thus worship thee. O ! that it might be my employment 
 throughout my whole life to contemplate thy greatness, thou 
 Supreme Deity, and my own lowliness. Memorials of these 
 will never be wanting to me. My imperfection, my fragile 
 body, my corrupted state, my narrowly bounded perceptions, 
 
WITH GOD. 15 
 
 ny toilsome life, my whole being will every moment tell me 
 how little, how miserable I am. But thy unlimited greatness, 
 will heaven and earth, reason and revelation, thy chastisements 
 and benefactions alike declare to me. I will be attentive to 
 these voices ; they shall excite me to walk before thee in hu- 
 mility and submission, and to ascribe honour to thy mighty 
 name. For thou, O Lord, art alone worthy, that men and 
 angels glorify thee. 
 
 Let, then, my whole soul employ its utmost zeal to know 
 and praise, O ! thou All-adorable, thy greatness ! but espe- 
 cially let it be devoted, in faith and love, to the Redeemer 
 of the world, through whose atonement I am thus proudly 
 ennobled. I am one of the redeemed of Jesus ; and thence 
 have procured, O Lord, a right to thy fatherly esteem, to 
 thy forgiveness, and to thy patience, of which, as a man arid a 
 sinner, I was undeserving. To thee, Ransomer of the world, 
 do I owe, that I can regard the Creator of all nature as my 
 Father ; and from him, moreover, after this life, expect the 
 blessedness of heaven. O ! what shall I then be, when the 
 grace of Jesus raises me to that state of glory which he has 
 obtained for me, and for my salvation taken possession of? 
 O God, I cannot express how much this anticipation delights 
 me. In heaven I shall more clearly perceive how great, 
 how exalted, how blessed that man is whom Jesus has re- 
 deemed. 
 
 JANUARY 10. 
 
 Approach to Death, the Grave, and Judgment. 
 
 I ADVANCE every day nearer to death, to the grave, to eter- 
 nity. And who knows, perhaps I have already, without 
 suspecting it, arrived at the verge of the tomb that shall 
 open after a few minutes, or a few hours, to receive me. 
 This much I know with certainty, the oftener I behold the 
 morning sun, the closer I approach to the evening of my 
 life. I cannot conceal it ; this thought tills me with sad- 
 ness and disquietude. To be nigh to death, to the grave, to 
 eternity, God ! what a serious, fiightful idea ! And yet it is 
 not possible for me to doubt of their approximation. Of 
 
16 MORNING COMMUNINGS 
 
 this alone I doubt whether I am so prepared, that I can 
 meet my last hour with joyfulness and hope. In order, 
 therefore, that impending death and eternity may not alarm 
 me, I must draw nearer, O my God, to thee : but my con- 
 science, this loud, powerful witness, tells me that my heart is 
 still far from thee ; and that I should be everlastingly miser- 
 able, were I so near death as to preclude all delay and all 
 return. 
 
 What, if then to-day for the last time I have beheld in 
 this world the dawning light, and now for the last time offer 
 up to thee my orisons ; if in the midst of my sighs death 
 should seal my lips, and my first words on the morning of 
 this day be the last of my existence ? Ah, God, how sor- 
 rowful am I under this presentiment ! And how easily is it 
 possible that the supposition may be realized ! How soon, 
 and with what facility may some tender part of my weak 
 and fragile frame lose its activity, some drop of blood change 
 its course, and then instantly death is in my limbs I stand 
 before the tribunal of my God ! Is it then certain, that, 
 according to the laws of mortality, ere this hour be fled, to 
 nearly four thousand inhabitants of the earth the lot of death 
 will fall ? and can I be sure that I shall not appear in this 
 number ? Yet, though this may be an idle conjecture, one 
 fact is still unquestionable, that death may overtake me at a 
 time when I least apprehend its presence, but am perhaps 
 flattering myself with the promise of a long-protracted life. 
 
 This uncertainty of the approach of my death should 
 teach me the wisdom of constantly thinking of it ; and the 
 remembrance of death instruct me in the necessity of un- 
 ceasingly preparing myself for it. Wherefore should I defer 
 this important business, since every delay is so uncertain 
 and so dangerous ? Now, at this very moment, while I yet 
 hear, yet see, yet feel, will I undertake my amendment. 
 Now it is still easy: how hard it will be, when I have grown 
 old in my sins ! Now I have still the power to think, to 
 feel, to repent : how much more labour would then be neces- 
 sary, if sickness or age enfeebled and even obstructed the 
 faculties of my mind ! Now I can still do good, and make 
 the fruits of my improvement visible. But I shall be 
 obliged to dispense with this satisfaction, if I turn to good 
 only" when dying. The present moment is still mine. Will 
 
WITH GOD. 17 
 
 the next minute be also in my possession ? O God, let me 
 profit wisely by this moment, and as I think now, so let me 
 think through every part of the day. If I am this morning 
 far from thee, yet may I in the evening experience the hap- 
 piness of having come nearer to thee. Thus, let death be as 
 nigh to me as it may, I will only perceive, in its arrival the 
 approach of my eternal felicity. 
 
 JANUARY 11. 
 
 Exaltation of the Soul through Faith in Jesus 
 
 O ! THAT my soul, which is so firmly fettered by the force 
 of earthly things, would allow itself to be wholly carried 
 away by that gentle violence, which belongs to faith in Jesus 
 Christ ! What are all the charms of the world, what are all 
 its pomps, in comparison to those unspeakable possessions, 
 which thy expiation, O Saviour, has obtained for me ? 
 They are dust. And how much should I debase myself, if, 
 with such mighty and exalted hopes, and such splendid 
 privileges, as I owe to thy redemption, I should toil after 
 objects which appear, in the light of Christianity, nugatory 
 and unworthy of a rational being, after the empty honour of 
 men, after sensuality and luxury ! Ye riches of this world, 
 how insignificant are ye, when I consider that treasure which 
 has been bestowed upon me through Jesus, that wealth of a 
 better world, of which no power can rob me ! Earthly 
 friends ! how vain, how inconstant is your love ! Demand 
 not my entire heart, which I have already consecrated to 
 him, who is my best and most steadfast Friend. Thou 
 honour of the world ! how easily can I dispense with thee, 
 when I reflect on my pre-eminence in having become through 
 Christ a child of God, and an inheritor of salvation ! To 
 no purpose do ye tempt me, ye joys of time: those views 
 which the hope of a blessed immortality unfolds to me are 
 more delightful and of far greater preponderance than any 
 display of terrestrial happiness. Thou whole world! thou 
 art not deserving of my wishes : thou art too small for a 
 
 c 
 
18 MORNING COMMUNINGS 
 
 spirit that only finds its repose, its contentment, its felicity in 
 the belief of eternity. 
 
 But why do I not always think thus nobly? Ah! how 
 often have I permitted myself to be seduced by trifling 
 attractions to forget the joys and the recompense of eternity ! 
 How often have I been so foolish as to prefer earthly wealth 
 to the riches of grace ! How little influence has the con- 
 templation of the sufferings of Jesus had over my heart to 
 make it renounce sin and all ungodliness ! How insensible 
 have I been, when all around me has invited me to the feel- 
 ing of God's grace, and to the love of his Only-begotten ! 
 And, perhaps, if at this moment worldly allurements were 
 to approach me, the holy sentiments which I now entertain 
 would be obliterated. How misled, how vain, how cor- 
 rupted is my heart ! I see how absolutely necessary thy 
 grace is to me. God ! I implore thee that thou grant me 
 thy support to subdue my passions, to tame my inclinations, 
 and through courageous self-denial to draw nearer to piety 
 and wisdom ! O ! that my heart might be always as it now 
 is, filled with sacred zeal, so as joyfully for the sake of con- 
 science to relinquish every happiness and advantage on 
 earth ; be ever filled with the hallowed love which impels 
 me to abandon all for Jesus' sake, and for him, my Saviour, 
 to live and die ! O ! that the sufferings of my Redeemer 
 were so dear to me, that I might with willingness resolve to 
 take his cross upon me, arid continue steadfast in following 
 him! 
 
 I am determined, my God, and to thee this morning do I 
 vow, that nothing shall separate me from my love for Jesus. 
 And if I love him, then do I love all that is good and 
 noble ; then do I love my brethren both in truth and in 
 deed ; then do I love thee, O God, with my whole heart and 
 my whole soul. If I love him, then shall I have strength, 
 with patience and works of virtue, to strive after eternal life ; 
 then shall I be able to assure myself, O Lord, of thy bless- 
 ing in all the concerns of this existence, and at length 
 through faith in thee to depart out of the world with cheer- 
 ful fortitude. 
 
WITH GOD. 19 
 
 JANUARY 12. 
 
 The Ways of God Mysterious, but full of Wisdom and 
 Goodness. 
 
 HERE on this earth all around me is darkness ! How little 
 do I know the Lord who has placed me in the world ! how 
 little do I know of the world itself ! And how much is there 
 concealed from me even in regard to my own being ! How- 
 ever much I may know concerning thee and thy nature, O 
 God, yet is all my knowledge patchwork and imperfection. 
 T cannot think of thee without perceiving how incomprehen- 
 sible thou art, thou infinite Deity ! And the ways by which 
 thou conductest me, how mysterious, how unsearchable are 
 they for me ! In order to raise me to dignity, thou debasest 
 me ; in order to bless me, thou withdrawest from me that 
 which my heart accounts bliss ; in order to render me happy, 
 thou aiflictest me ! Truly thou art a hidden God, thou God 
 of Israel ! But let it ever continue to be my comfort that 
 thou art my sanctifier. The nearer I approach to the end of 
 thy guidance in these lower regions, the more the obscurity 
 which involves my path disperses. Hereafter when thou or- 
 derest me to quit the world, shall I understand more fully 
 wherefore thou hast stationed me in it. Then will much be- 
 come clear that was unintelligible to me : much will appear 
 wise to me over which my heart lamented. Yet still more 
 perfect will be my perceptions in that better world, to which 
 thy grace, .through Christ, has destined me. Have I been 
 miserable here ? I shall there learn that this misery was a 
 blessing. Have I been here compelled to sow in tears ? So 
 shall I there comprehend how salutary they were, and reap 
 in joy. Hast thou here, O God, given me a short, toilsome 
 life ? There shall I praise thee that, instead of a brief por- 
 tion of labour thou hast allotted to me everlasting enjoy- 
 ment. Hast thou here taken away from me that which was 
 dearest and most agreeable to me the pleasures and the 
 comfort of my life ? So shall I there confess how little rea- 
 son I had to regret them. I shall perceive the scope, the 
 goodness, the wonders of thy ordinances, and for ever adore 
 thee that thou hast been pleased to lead me so marvellously 
 and excellently. 
 
20 MORNING COMMLNINGS 
 
 Await, O my soul, this period, which promises to thee the 
 solution of all the difficulties which here thou art unable to 
 unravel. Perhaps the Lord will still carry thee through 
 paths which may appear dreary to thee on account of their 
 gloominess ; and which thou mayest deem ways of misfor- 
 tune, because they oppose thy desires. Be tranquil ! reflect ! 
 and follow with composure and resignation, the track which 
 thy Father marks out for thy steps ! However long it may 
 extend, yet wilt thou be near to the close of thy pilgrimage, 
 and to the explanation of thy whole destiny ! Meanwhile 
 submit thyself to the wise and gracious guidance of thy God. 
 Vanquish svery dissatisfaction by prayer, every solicitude by 
 faith, and every fear by hope. Yet how is it possible that 
 any fear can arise in thee ? The Lord that leads thee is 
 omniscient. He will determine that which is best for thee. 
 He is infinitely kind ; he will let thee want nothing that is 
 good. He is through Christ thy propitiated Father : he will 
 neither abandon thee his child, nor neglect thee. 
 
 With this consolation I enter once more upon my course. 
 Merciful Father, lead me this day in the even path of duty and 
 right ; let thy providence maintain my breath, thy grace re- 
 gulate my life, and thy Spirit preserve me from iniquity, 
 that I may become worthy of thy favour, and a participator 
 of the blessings which thy beneficence has appointed for me. 
 
 JANUARY 13 
 
 The manifold Blessings of the Lord from the Womb to the 
 Grave. 
 
 WHEN my soul, O Almighty, contemplates the multitude of 
 the blessings with which thou hast loaded me from the first 
 moment of my being, I am at a loss for words wherewith to 
 express the mmensity of thy goodness, and the force of my 
 gratitude. The angels themselves are obliged to stand mute, 
 and adore, when they attempt to celebrate the boundlessness 
 of thy love ! And how should I, whose loftiest song of 
 praise is but stammering wishes, whose understanding is so 
 confined, whose capacity is so weak, whose life is so short, 
 

 WITH GOD. 21 
 
 how should I be able worthily to extol thee, thou Trinity in 
 Unity. 
 
 While yet I slept in my mother's womb thou appomtedst 
 to me my life. And when, after this long night, I at length 
 beheld the day, thy hands led me into the world to meet that 
 happiness which was provided for me. I became one of the 
 race of men ; and, what augmented my felicity, thou didst then 
 vouchsafe to me the favour of being, through baptism, admit- 
 ted into the Christian fellowship, and dedicated to thee. 
 Angels stood around my cradle, and at thy command watched 
 me, and blessed my dawning life. On my mother's breast 
 thou already listenedst to my immature desires, and to my 
 broken utterance, formed as yet into no prayer ; and thy eye 
 gleamed indulgently on my tears. Thou didst govern my 
 tottering feet, and while I was myself unable to protect my 
 life, thou, O Father, wast the guard of my existence. 
 
 As the years of my growing youth increased, so likewise 
 did thy grace towards me increase. How full of forbearance 
 and how patient was thy tenderness when the heedlessness of 
 my age betrayed me into errors ! How gently didst thou 
 direct me aright, when I had erred from the line of virtue ! 
 And how ready wast thou with assistance, when the blind 
 ardour of juvenile impetuosity had plunged me into dangers, 
 in which I stood in urgent need of thy preserving help ! 
 Thou blessedst my bringing up, and the forming of my yet 
 pliant heart. When my parents took thought for my sup- 
 port, it was thou, kind and bountiful Father, that didst sus- 
 tain me ; when they laboured to instruct me, then didst thou 
 open my understanding ; when they discoursed to me of the 
 beauty of virtue, then was it thou who enabledst me to love 
 it ; when they wished me blessings and prosperity, thou it 
 was that gavest to me felicity and success. 
 
 Often was I at the point of death, and thy almighty hand 
 drew me back from the brink of the grave. Often did the 
 wearisomeness of this life force me to tears, and thou sent- 
 est me a friend to dry them up and to sweeten my existence. 
 After many a night, in which death lay wait for me in the 
 arms of sleep, hast thou permitted me to behold the morning. 
 And how can I sufficiently praise thee for this present morn- 
 ing, with which thou hast prolonged to me my term of life, 
 renewed its gratifications, and granted to me fresh proofs of 
 
22 MORNING COMMUNINGS 
 
 thy protection ? Yes, what a blessing is it, that my heart is 
 capable of feeling, and my mind of thinking ! This heart 
 must, therefore, in return, be thine perpetually, and remain 
 for ever thankful for thy benefactions. No day shall pass 
 which I live not to thy honour ; and my advanced old age, 
 if such thou ordainest to me, shall still proclaim thy truth. 
 I will serve thee all my life long, and boast, while my breath 
 endureth, of thy mercy. In all dangers arid troubles will I 
 trust in thee, and even in death, through confidence in thee 
 and my Redeemer, greatly fortify myself. And then will I 
 depart into eternity, there to extol thee with all those whom 
 thou hast elected. Yet eternity itself will be too short to ce- 
 lebrate all thy wonders. So much the more, therefore, will 
 I make it now my constant business to meditate upon the 
 miracles of thy power, and to laud thy name. 
 
 JANUARY 14. 
 
 The Pleasure and Elevation of Spirit arising from 
 Communion with God. 
 
 WHAT a blessed occupation is reverential converse with thee, 
 my Lord and my God ! How highly do I feel my spirit 
 elevated above all that is terrestrial ! my heart how strongly 
 fortified and rejoiced, when I pray to thee ! How do I 
 exult in the dignity thou hast bestowed upon me, in the facul- 
 ties with which thou hast gifted me, in the spirit with which 
 thou hast endowed me, when, with sacred confidence and awe, 
 I offer up to thee the wishes and feelings of my bosom ! 
 Then does my soul exult that it is able to know thee, to love 
 thee, and to worship thee ; then with increased ardency do I 
 experience the delight of daring to call thee Father; then 
 does my heart comfort itself with thy almighty protection and 
 thy wise governance. When I return thanks to thee, O my 
 Lord and my God, that thou hast bestowed upon me a new 
 life and life's gratifications, that I can still gaze upon thy 
 sun, and still" magnify thy glory, I feel myself evermore 
 deeply touched with the conviction of thy interminable good- 
 ness, Yes, my soul, pay thy vows to the Lord, and forget 
 
WITH GOD. 23 
 
 not the good which he has done to thee ; forget it, not even 
 though to-day sorrow and care should afflict thee, though 
 fear and apprehension disquiet thee ; forget not, that he 
 whom thou supplicatest grants to thee exceedingly above all 
 that thou entreatest or understandest. 
 
 And what shall I ask from thee ? God, thou knowest all 
 the necessities both of my soul and my body. Thou knowest 
 the most secret desires of my breast ; and from thee my most 
 distant purposes are not hidden. I know not myself what for 
 my own happiness I ought to petition from thee : yet, if I 
 rightly comprehend myself, this is my most earnest wish, that 
 I may find favour before thee, when at any time my sins and 
 my imperfections would excite thy displeasure towards me. 
 For how can I be happy, how can I be content, how can I 
 be comforted, if thou withdrawest from me thy grace ? Take 
 all away from me the prosperity which thou hast conferred 
 upon me, the joys with which thou hast replenished my heart : 
 take away from me my very life, only let me possess thy 
 grace, it will be my happiness, my felicity, and my exist- 
 ence. When I have thee, then do I hold all that my heart 
 can long for. In good fortune I shall find contentment, in 
 mischance consolation and aid, in embarrassment wisdom 
 and counsel, in weakness strength, and under all circum- 
 stances joyfulness, if thou be my God and my Helper. 
 
 Now, while I stand before thee, thou All-bounteous, I call 
 to mind my fellow-mortals, of whom so many millions per- 
 haps at this moment address to thee their devotions. To 
 them also deign to manifest thy favour ; since for them like- 
 wise has Jesus won thy grace. O ! how many of the op- 
 pressed, the suffering, the sick, and the dying, will this 
 morning seek thy countenance ! Let them graciously find 
 it, and look down upon them with an eye of pity and com- 
 passion. To the least of my brethren, who in his lonely hut 
 prays to thee unseen, vouchsafe thy mercy. Deny it not 
 even to him who is this day regardless of thee, or too proud 
 to bend his knee before thee. Have compassion on the in- 
 habitants of the whole earth, whom Jesus, thy Son, has re- 
 deemed. Let this day redound to the salvation of all thy 
 children. This day let the sinner be reformed, the troubled 
 refreshed, the destitute provided for, the sick alleviated, and 
 the dying brought to a blissful end. Henceforward to eter- 
 
24 MORNING COMMUNINGS 
 
 nity must the whole world worship thee and adore thy good- 
 ness ! Lord of Sabaoth ! All lands are full of thy glory. 
 My heart must likewise be full of thy holy name. Amen. 
 Hallelujah ! 
 
 JANUARY 15. 
 
 Salvation and Redemption the highest Blessing, 
 
 GREAT are the blessings which God imparts to me in his 
 glorious works of nature, in the joyous destiny of my life, in 
 the success of my labour ; but none is greater than that 
 which he has bestowed upon me through Christ the blessing 
 of sanctjfication and redemption. How unhappy would be 
 my fate, how desolate my soul, if I had not, illuminated by 
 the light of Christianity, learned thy holy truth, and found 
 the way that leads to celestial existence ! Now I know that 
 God will be worshipped only in spirit and in truth, and that 
 his children ought to honour him by sentiments of veneration, 
 by feelings of love and gratitude, through faithful and volun- 
 tary obedience. Now I am certain that I can become worthy 
 of his favour and of his blessing only through unfeigned piety 
 and real conscientiousness. Now am I convinced that my 
 soul is immortal, and that heaven is my proper country. Is 
 there any greater benefit than this benefit of revelation, any 
 greater happiness than that of belonging to the redeemed of 
 Jesus Christ ? But am I indeed deserving this blessing ? 
 Have I in all situations and on all occasions evinced that 1 
 belong to Christ? Am I so minded as he, my Saviour, was? 
 Do his disinterested goodness, his invincible fidelity, his 
 pious confidence, and his holy humility, exist in my soul? 
 Ah ! with what shame must I confess that I belong not to his 
 true disciples ; that I have often sinned against my God by 
 murmurings and impatience, against my brethren by un- 
 friendliness and selfishness, against myself by indolence and 
 negligence ; that sensual lusts have often blinded and misled 
 me ; and that, when I look back upon my course, I see only 
 the will, but find not the performance of good. O ! therefore 
 do I in this hour of morn entreat thee with all earnestness cf 
 
WITH GOD. 
 
 soul ; bring forth in me, God, a pure heart ; grant me a right 
 understanding. Therefore do I vow unto thee, thou arbiter 
 of my life, that I will with the utmost diligence watch over 
 my mind, that I will keep the image of my Redeemer before 
 my eyes in all that I undertake, and in all that I undergo. 
 No longer will I disparage the name of Christian, which I 
 bear, by unchristian sentiments; no longer continue a slave 
 to my passions and desires, and the servant of men, called as 
 I am through Christ to the freedom of the children of God, 
 and purchased by his own dear blood. No longer shall re- 
 morse torment me, and an evil conscience embitter my joys. 
 Ah ! I now feel how insupportable is the dominion of ini- 
 quity ; how shameful it is to allow myself to be tyrannized 
 over by pride, by ambition, or the other vices of the flesh. 
 Under this bondage I find no peace for my heart, but per- 
 petual torture and disquietude. Make it appear duly im- 
 portant to me that I am thy child, thy subject, thy property. 
 Give me grace that I may walk worthily of this honour and 
 this happiness, and that I may never deprive myself through 
 my transgressions of this favour. I vow to thee and do 
 thou grant me strength to fulfil my engagement I vow to 
 thee to live and die thy property. 
 
 JANUARY 10. 
 
 God's Willy and not Mans own Counsel, the sure 
 Foundation of Happiness. 
 
 WITH every returning day, new wishes and new designs 
 awaken in my soul ; solicitude how I may advance my pros- 
 perity, accomplish my desires, and satisfy my inclinations, in- 
 cessantly occupies my thoughts. Perhaps to-day my first re- 
 flection was directed to the means by which I might turn to 
 my advantage the portion of life to which it belongs. I see 
 the folly of these projects. How often already have my 
 schemes been frustrated and do I not yet know the inutility 
 of all my pains ? Why would I longer follow my own idle 
 fancy ? I will build my success on God, and not on my 
 own counsel. With this resolution will I begin arid live the 
 
26 MORNING COMMUNINGS 
 
 day through ; and it will much conduce to ray real content- 
 ment, if the same determination continue always effectual 
 with me. I shall not then experience the vexation which my 
 disappointed views occasion me, nor regard with anxiety and 
 trembling my future destiny, but await it with composure 
 from the providence of God. 
 
 Who took care for me, when I lay thoughtless and slum- 
 bering on my mother's breast ? Who formed so many wise 
 purposes in relation to my future days, while I as yet could 
 scarcely comprehend the present moment ? Thou it was, 
 all-wise and benignant God, who, while yet I was not, didst 
 appoint to me my lot, weigh out my sufferings, number my 
 days, and order the entire development of my life. And 
 I would now, though I have already received so many 
 proofs of thy superintending knowledge, distrust thy govern- 
 ance? I would follow my own advice, which is so simple 
 and so unavailing ? I would arrogate dominion over the 
 days that are to come, though I am hardly master of the 
 flying minute ? I would determine the future, though T am 
 not able to determine the past ? 
 
 No ; to thee, omniscient, benevolent Father, will I leave 
 the regulation of my life and fortune. My proud corrupted 
 heart may strive as much as it can to seduce me into mis- 
 trust ; through thy grace will I gain the victory over it. 
 I will go in the way which thou prescribest to me, however 
 rough and dark it may be. I will resign myself to thee, 
 however much my weak heart may oppose my submission. 
 All my cares in regard to the future will I commend to thee; 
 and my sole study shall be, how I may be well-pleasing to 
 thee through my whole life : this only shall occupy my soul. 
 Thus will my whole government conspire to my bliss, and 
 to the true welfare of my immortal spirit; I shall be assured 
 that neither the present nor the future can estrange me from 
 thy love. 
 
 For this hope do I thank thee, merciful God. O ! 
 how tranquilly can I now commence the day ! How tran- 
 quilly can I meet the future ! Maintain and increase this 
 hope in my soul. God, thou knowest my unbelieving and 
 distrustful heart. Vanquish, vanquish, through thy grace, 
 my heart's untowardness, that I may place affiance in thee 
 with my whole soul. Let this alone be my joy, tnat I cling 
 
WITH GOD. 27 
 
 to thee arid put my confidence in tliee. Be my shepherd, 
 my help, and my support, that I fall not. I set my depend- 
 ence on thy goodness and on thy truth ever and eternally. 
 For thou, O God, nearest my vows ; thou rewardest such as 
 fear thy name. And therefore will I always remain with 
 thee, because thou boldest me by the right hand, Thou 
 leadest me according to thy judgment, and wilt at last accept 
 me with honour. 
 
 JANUARY 17. 
 
 The Christian devotes himself with ThanKsgivings to God. 
 
 AGAIN, O God, has thy inexpressible goodness prolonged 
 my life to another morning. With a deeply affected heart 
 1 adore thy mercy, throuo h which I have been preserved till 
 the present moment. My life was in thy hand while I slum- 
 bered during the past night. And thy gracious superintend- 
 ence alone has removed from me danger and death, and 
 guarded and maintained my existence ; for the watchman 
 waketh in vain, if thou keepest not the city. Be then, with 
 grateful heart, devoted to thee that life which is the gift of 
 thy benevolence. Accept from me this offering, which I lay 
 down before the throne of thy omnipotence, and let the 
 thanks please thee which I consecrate to thee at the matin 
 hour. O ! how much do 1 wish, ever-to-be-worshipped 
 God, that my praise might be as ardent, my thanks as loud, 
 and my prayers as full of reverence, as is the devotion of 
 those enlightened spirits that encircle thy seat of majesty ! 
 Do thou thyself sanctify my devotion ; infuse into it the fire, 
 the vigour, the vivacity, which it wants, and favour me with 
 those blissful feelings, which thou producest in the souls of 
 thy adopted. 
 
 O ! how little have I hitherto valued the grace which thou 
 hast vouchsafed to me in tho progress of my existence ! 
 How many mornings have I lived without remembering that 
 I owe each to thy mercy! Often have I arisen from my bed, 
 gifted with new life and new powers ; but did I always right 
 seriously reflect that this bed might have been my bed of 
 
28 MORNING COMMUNINGS 
 
 death, hadst not thou watched over my safety? I am 
 astonished at my own insensibility ; but yet more so at the in- 
 describable immensity of that patience and that longsuffer- 
 ing, which so graciously bear with an ungrateful sinner 
 and how dared I, how could I longer abuse the indulgent 
 kindness? No ; it is my firm resolve, from this day forward, 
 more carefully and more gratefully to regard thy benefits, 
 and to let their magnitude excite me to thy glorification. 
 And when I thus contemplate the multitude of thy benefac- 
 tions, how greatly must I be amazed at their number ! how 
 little and unworthy must I appear to myself! and with what 
 abashment confess to thee that I am undeserving of all the 
 mercy and all the faithfulness which thou exercisest towards 
 me i But in proportion as my gratitude is ardent and sin- 
 cere, so much the more joyful will be my song of thanks- 
 giving, so much the more zealous my wish to become wor- 
 thier of thy grace. 
 
 Support me in the resolutions which I have formed at the 
 dawn of this day. If thou thyself openest not my eyes to 
 perceive thy mercy, I shall never remark it. If thou in- 
 flamest not my heart with gratitude, it will remain cold and 
 unfeeling even under the most visible evidences of thy 
 favour. Therefore do I cry out to thee : grant me a pru- 
 dent, a thankful heart. O ! how many opportunities will 
 this day give me of tasting the fruits of thy friendliness ! 
 But they must not be offered to me in vain. In all thy 
 benefits, however small they may be yet can any thing 
 indeed be small that comes from thee? in all thy bene- 
 fits will I acknowledge thee, my benignant, my reconciled 
 Father. This shall be the last morning in which I have 
 been perhaps cold and indifferent towards thee. Every day, 
 every hour, every minute will I remember thee as my kind 
 Benefactor, and on every recollection extol thee. 
 
 Yea, I will praise thee, my God, all my life long. I will 
 publish thy mercy, and all the world shall hear from me 
 how compassionate and how gracious thou art to them that 
 seek thee. Only take not away from me thy grace, nor 
 withdraw from me the support of thy Spirit, I will walk 
 before thee this day arid be pious. Be thou my protection, 
 my shield, the director of my way, my helper, and hereafter 
 my exceeding great reward. 
 
WITH GOD. 29 
 
 JANUARY 18. 
 
 The Proper Employment of Life 
 
 WHEREFORE lias God placed me in this world ? This is the 
 great question which I* must now put to myself, when I am 
 entering as it were anew into the world. I should act in 
 a manner that I could not answer to myself, were I always 
 to go forward in the path of life, and never disturb myself 
 about what may be the object or the destination of my jour- 
 ney. No : I will stand still at the commencement of this new 
 stage, I will view my road, I will consider the purpose of my 
 existence. 
 
 This world is not my true home : the numerous sufferings 
 with which I have here to struggle, the sins to which I am 
 continually subjected, the shortness of my life itself, and my 
 present situation tell me, that I am only a guest, only a pil- 
 grim on the earth. But it is nevertheless thy will, my God, 
 that, during my brief and toilsome residence on this lower 
 sphere, I should live for thy honour and the welfare of my 
 fellow-mortals. It is thy will that I should strive, in all my 
 endeavours, to render life more supportable both to myself 
 and to others, and, through a wise use of the talents which 
 thou hast entrusted to me, promote the happiness of my con- 
 temporary sojourn ers on earth. On these conditions hast 
 thou promised to grant me all that is requisite for the support 
 of my existence ; and thou hast also assured me of thy 
 gracious approbation, if I walk in thy way, and employ, 
 like a faithful servant, the talents and possessions which thou 
 hast confided to me. Seriously do I reflect on this wise and 
 benignant dispensation, now that I am on the point of re- 
 turning to the exercise of that calling to which thou hast 
 appointed me. Merciful God, O ! send me the grace to 
 occupy the period of my pilgrimage, and even the smallest 
 part of it, according to thy pleasure. Far be it from me, 
 through supineness or inactivity, to dishonour my profes- 
 sion, or to misemploy the possessions which thou hast de- 
 livered to my charge. Let that noble assiduity to advance 
 the good of my brethren and thy glory, that zeal to sacrifice 
 myself for my fellow-mortals, in which I have my Jesus for 
 
30 MORNING COMMUNINGS 
 
 a forerunner, be yet visible in me. And if I herein thus up- 
 rightly fulfil thy views, ! then out of thy grace vouchsafe 
 to me thy loving providence. Give me my daily bread, and sa- 
 tisfy all those necessities which are essential to my happiness. 
 But since I have likewise through thy grace received a 
 spirit which is destined for eternity, and for which Jesus 
 Christ by his sufferings has obtained *a blessed immortality; 
 
 ! therefore do I entreat thee most suppliantly, and in the 
 name of my Redeemer, bountiful and gracious God, to teach 
 me to walk worthily of my high calling. Teach me the 
 grand art, the sublime wisdom, to live Christian-like and die 
 happily. Amid all the distractions, in which I may through 
 this life be entangled, let eternity be my aim, that I may so 
 demean myself as becomes a citizen of heaven. Many 
 objects will this day approach my eyes and my heart, which 
 may divert my soul from the consideration of this one thing 
 needful; but then, I pray to thee, do thou so rule it, that it 
 forget not its destination. Grant me grace to profit by the 
 time allotted me, and turn *t to my everlasting advantage. 
 Then, let this day occur to me what may, Eternity, to which 
 
 1 always draw nearer, and death, which conveys me to it, 
 will powerfully encourage and strengthen me, and I shall 
 then, in the evening of the day, have no reason to repent that 
 I have lived during it. 
 
 JANUARY 19. 
 
 The Fear of Death destroyed. 
 
 IT is true my eyes are not yet darkened, no fever yet glides 
 through my veins, my knees do not yet shake, I lie not yet 
 extended, pale and senseless, on my death-bed. I still live ; 
 I still behold the light ; I still enjoy the faculties of my 
 body ; I can still move, still breathe, still open my lips, and 
 pour forth to thee my prayer. Thy Almighty goodness, 
 O thou preserver of my life, has permitted me once more to 
 behold another morning : and I praise thee with my whole 
 soul, that I am yet alive, and able to extol thee in the land of 
 the living. But amid all the hilarity of my heart, and the 
 
WITH GOD 31 
 
 most lively consciousness of my renovated existence, I cannot 
 suppress the thought that I am frail, null, and mortal. Per- 
 haps I am close upon the extreme limit of my vital career ; 
 perhaps this day I shall arrive at it ; perhaps this hour, per- 
 haps even before I have finished my supplication, or stam- 
 mered out to thee my thanksgiving. 
 
 I must confess it, my God, this PERHAPS fills me with sad 
 and painful feelings. Am I then ever in danger of losing 
 my life ? always subject to death ? always in expectation 
 of thy judgment and of eternity ? Amid all the pleasures 
 that I enjoy, must I also constantly reflect that they are 
 transitory? amid all my gratifications, that they are uncer- 
 tain, and of very brief duration ? Ah ! God, how greatly do 
 these ideas dispirit me ! and how hard is it for me to support 
 the lively impression of them with tranquillity! And yet, 
 
 God, thou hast placed before my eyes throughout all 
 nature so many objects which present me with perpetual oc- 
 casion for the contemplation of death. Every thing tells me 
 that I am mortal. The shortness of the days, the leafless 
 trees, the mist, the smoke, each*fleeting minute, my own 
 weak, fragile body, and the toll of the death-bell, all these in- 
 spire me with the presentiment : perhaps I must shortly 
 die ! And am I still frequently so foolish as to shun this 
 thought, and to deem death, which is so near me, at a dis- 
 tance? O God, teach me to remember that I must die; and 
 take from this recollection the frightfulness which is asso- 
 ciated with it. Grant that through faith in my Mediator 
 
 1 may overcome this infirmity, and through the contempla- 
 tion of heaven, of which I am an heir, sweeten for myself 
 the bitterness of death. For why should this change excite 
 my horror, when I have such consolations to oppose to 
 death ? O ! let it then be my daily task to endeavour 
 through faith to maintain within me the hope of eternal life. 
 This alone will soften the asperity of death, and render the 
 thought of it pleasing to me. Instead of dreading death, 
 I shall then wish for its arrival; instead of the uneasiness 
 which the consideration of it now diffuses over me, a heavenly 
 joy will spread itself through my soul. O God, be thou 
 supremely, be thou for ever, praised by me, that through 
 Jesus Christ I am capable of participating in so comfortable 
 a hope. Strengthen me through this sacred expectancy in 
 
62 MORNING COMMUNINGS 
 
 the progress of my life, under the troubles which may yet 
 accompany me in my course, and under the consideration of 
 my frailty and my speedy dissolution. The nearer I advance 
 to my grave, the more influential let this hope become in my 
 soul. Show thou to me this grace, then shall I be able 
 boldly to proceed onward in the path of my existence, and 
 even in death to praise thee. 
 
 JANUARY 20. 
 
 Supplication for the Divine Guidance 
 
 How indispensable to me is thy support and guidance, my 
 God, that amid so many foibles and seductions I stray not 
 from the road to which, for my happiness, I ought to ad- 
 here ! I live in a world where even my best works are 
 defective, and my greatest virtues incomplete. I must 
 always strive to become 'more perfect. Every day that I 
 live I must advance further in the science of godliness, be- 
 come more courageous in self-denial, more steady in com- 
 bating against my desires, more determined to overcome 
 the obstacles that obstruct the practice of righteousness. 
 And here I first perceive how very much is yet wanting to my 
 salvation, and how needful to me is the redemption of Jesus,, 
 which must compensate for the deficiency of all my efforts, 
 and even preserve me from my destruction. But I have never 
 yet reflected with sufficient earnestness on this grace of my 
 Redeemer; otherwise I should not have been so proud of 
 my good actions, or so careless under my numerous wants. 
 O Lord my Saviour, what were I without thee? What 
 were my virtues if thy Spirit did not operate them within 
 me, and thy merits did not sanctify them ? And where 
 would at length my steps carry me, didst thou not, amid so 
 many perplexing errors, bring me back to the true and the 
 only way to my felicity, and likewise keep me in it ? 
 
 Were I not so forcibly convinced of this, I should have 
 cause at the break of this day to tremble for the sequel of 
 my life. O ! how easily may I forfeit the grace which thou 
 hast vouchsafed to me ! How easily may the wicked world 
 
 
WITH GOD. 33 
 
 and my own corrupted, misled heart, draw me aside from 
 the narrow path in which I must travel to heaven ! Yet un- 
 der all these circumstances my soul tranquillizes itself with 
 the conviction that I am not abandoned to my own powers, 
 but walk under the conduct and superintendence of my God 
 and his Spirit. With this persuasion I again enter joyfully, 
 
 Lord, on the course which as a man and a Christian 
 
 1 ought to pursue. 
 
 I foresee indeed already to how much temptation I shall this 
 day be exposed, and how strong the contest will be which 
 I have to maintain against the world and my own heart! 
 But if thou, my God, only lead me, I shall escape all the 
 snares, and conquer all the attacks of my enemies. O ! 
 therefore, Lord God, withdraw not thy aid from thy poor, 
 helpless child. Discover to me the deceptions that are 
 planned against my virtue, and the mazes that might retard 
 me in my celestial journey. Preserve me that I follow not 
 the seductive voice of the world, nor the propensities of my 
 heart, but give heed alone to thy word and to thy command- 
 ment. Guide me in thy truth, and govern me : for thou 
 art the God of my salvation, and in thee doth my soul 
 confide. 
 
 Be pleased also to extend this thy conducting goodness to 
 all my brethren, who with me have one faith, one destina- 
 tion, and one hope. Let none be lost, none swerve from the 
 track which thou hast prescribed to us. Have pity on all 
 sinners wandering in darkness, and ever hastening nearer to 
 their perdition. Even when they stand on the edge of the 
 abyss, even then take compassion upon them for Jesus 
 Christ's sake. Confirm thy children in holiness, and fortify 
 them in righteousness, that they may remain true to thee for 
 ever ; and finally, when we shall all arrive at the termination 
 of perfection, of rest, and of blessedness. To thy name, 
 three Persons arid one God, be adoration, thanks, and honour, 
 now and throughout all eternity. 
 
34 MORNING COMMUNINGS 
 
 JANUARY 21. 
 
 T>he Thought of Immortality renders the Transitoriness and 
 Vanity of all Earthly Things undeserving of Regret. 
 
 How lamentable is the real appearance of all those things 
 which my heart supposes to constitute felicity ; how uncer- 
 tain and how imperfect are all the gratifications and joys 
 which the world can afford me ! Never yet has their pos- 
 session or indulgence rendered me truly and permanently 
 happy ; but on the contrary often forced from me sighs and 
 tears. And this is not my lot alone, it is the lot of all my 
 brethren; throughout the whole earth, from the beggar's 
 hut to the monarch's palace, every situation is full of toil, 
 every bosom full of care, every pleasure fleeting and vain. 
 None of all these apparent advantages can completely satisfy 
 the heart, and preserve it from vexation and repentance. 
 Downcast and discontented, even in the midst of their enjoy- 
 ment, and under the smiles of the most flourishing prosperity, 
 it feels itself unhappy. The entire globe, with all its magnifi- 
 cence, is to me nothing further than a constant memorial, 
 that this world merits not the love of a spirit born for im- 
 mortality. 
 
 And why should I trouble myself about the transitori- 
 ness and vanity of earthly things? If all that I have either 
 to wish or to hope for, were fleeting and perishable ; if there 
 were nothing in heaven or on earth that could supply my 
 desires or accomplish my expectations then indeed I should 
 have cause to complain that God had given to me a soul long- 
 ing after pure gratifications and real felicity, and yet no- 
 where able to find them. But the emptiness and the insta- 
 bility which I discover in the world are to me only a pledge 
 that my soul is intended for a better life. My weak, sick 
 body reminds me of my anticipated glorification ; my small 
 portion of knowledge, of that wisdom which shall fall to my 
 share in heaven ; my temporal combat, of the victory of eter- 
 nity; my sinful mind, of the holiness which shall yonder 
 adorn me. My whole condition on earth tends to make me 
 sure that I am a citizen of the new Jerusalem. 
 
 This high destination ought to gladden my soul. It is 
 

 WITH GOD. 35 
 
 degrading for a spirit which has been formed and redeemed 
 for the enjoyment of eternal felicity to strive after objects 
 which are so changeable, and of such short duration. I will 
 therefore consider my dignity, and aspire at those privi- 
 leges, which are consonant with iny appointment. The pre- 
 eminence of Christianity, the riches of the salvation of Jesus, 
 the joys of immortality, and the life after death these shall 
 be the scope of my ambition, of my love, and of my hopes. 
 If I knew how to estimate this happiness justly, how des- 
 picable would the attractions of sin, and all mundane allure- 
 ments, appear to me ! I will, therefore, amid all the im- 
 pressions which the vanities of this life may make upon me, 
 constantly remember that I am a subject of the kingdom of 
 heaven, and am bound, in virtue of my allegiance, to re- 
 nounce the follies of the world, and to labour for the things 
 above. 
 
 I shall this day be furnished with many opportunities, 
 botli in regard to myself and my fellow-mortals, of remark- 
 ing the vanity and the transitoriness of human existence. 
 Eternal God, teach me then to make a salutary use of this 
 experience. Turn my soul, which is so much devoted to 
 that which is terrestrial, towards those lasting blessings 
 which Jesus has purchased for me. Let it be my most 
 agreeable duty to strive after heavenly possessions. The vi- 
 cissitudes of the present I commend to thy faithfulness and 
 wisdom. Be my life as it may, happy or miserable, if it 
 have but a good end I am contented. 
 
 JANUARY 22. 
 
 Entire Reliance on the Almighty. 
 
 O! WHEREFORE should I through unchristian cares and 
 sorrows wrong my God and agonize my own soul ? It is 
 true, I know not the accidents and the vexations which may 
 this day attend me. But I know this, that everything that 
 can occur to me depends on the government of a wise and 
 benignant Deity. I know his paternal feelings towards 
 rne ; I know the love with which he deals with me ; I 
 console myself with the compassion which, as from my 
 
36 MORNING COMMUNINGS 
 
 Father propitiated through Christ, I dare to expect from him. 
 All my past days would rise up in testimony against me, 
 and reproach me with my mistrust, my folly, and my 
 unthankfulness, if I were to give room to a single doubt in 
 regard to God's gracious providence. All nature would cry 
 out against me : every bird, every insect, every grain of 
 dust, would in scorn hold up to me my unbelief, and heaven 
 and earth would alike stand forth as witnesses to confound 
 me. Groat omnipotent Ruler of the World, my Creator, my 
 God, my Father ! No, I will not dishonour thy providence 
 by my over-solicitous anxiety. I will recommend to thee all 
 my cares, and abandon to thee all the necessities that might 
 awake my disquiet. I will be as concernless as an infant in 
 its parent's lap ; with tender affection will I look up to thee, 
 and with joyful confidence expect from thee all good. 
 
 Beneficent Being, even before this morning dawned, even 
 ere the world and I were yet produced, even then already 
 didst thou think of me, and pre-ordain all the incidents 
 which shall this day arise to me. And that they will be the 
 best and the most profitable for me, of this, the infinite love 
 which thou bearest towards thy creatures, unquestionably 
 convinces me. How should I then do otherwise than give 
 in charge to thee all my ways, and with perfect resignation 
 receive from thee all that thy wise goodness decrees to me ? 
 Hast thou for this day appointed to me hours of happiness ; 
 I will enjoy them with a thankful heart. Hast thou appor- 
 tioned to me sufferings ; herein also let thy will be done. 
 Hast thou determined my death ; even this likewise shall be 
 welcome to me. Do I live in thy communion, do I suffer 
 under thy support, do I die in thy faith, then both my life 
 and my death will unite together for my dearest interest. 
 
 Confirm this tenour of thought, O God, in my soul, 
 strengthen in me my reliance on thy goodness and truth 
 through Christ Jesus ; and moreover let not my hope waver, 
 when sorrowful events and disappointed expectations would 
 render me dispirited. Show thy grace to the whole world, 
 and manifest thyself to thy worshippers, as a God who is the 
 supporter of, and the provider for, his own people. Give to 
 all that are in misery a consoled and tranquil mind, that 
 deerns thy help its sure and only refuge 5 and release all 
 who call upon thee for assistance. 
 
WITH GOD. 37 
 
 JANUARY 23. 
 
 Praises to God. 
 
 YEA, Lord, my God, thou art worthy to receive praise, 
 honour, and thanks ! I will praise thee with my songs, and 
 celebrate thy glorious name with hymns, so long as I inhale 
 the vital air. Mighty things hast thou done for me, and in 
 me hast thou magnified the greatness of thy omnipotence, 
 wisdom, and goodness. Praised be thy grace on high ! 
 
 Praised be thou for the soul with which thou hast enno- 
 bled me, which through thy Son's blood thou hast redeemed, 
 and through thy Spirit sanctified. It is capable. O God, of 
 knowing thee and of loving thee ; it can comprehend the wis- 
 dom and the beauty of thy works ; thou hast destined it for 
 a blessed immortality. O, how great, how favoured am I ! 
 Therefore be thou eternally praised, O God ! 
 
 Praised be thou for the body which thou hast bestowed 
 upon me ; for the symmetry of my limbs ; for the energy of 
 my powers ; for the soundness of my senses, for the joys of 
 my life. For this morning, which thou permittest me to 
 survive ; for the repose of the night, which has invigorated 
 my frame ; for the grace that I am able to worship thee, 
 be thou for ever praised, O God. 
 
 Praised be thou for all the proofs of thy goodness which 
 thou hast evinced towards me from the earliest commence- 
 ment of my existence till the present moment. Thou hast 
 granted me much for the necessities, and for the convenience 
 of my life ; many a contented hour, many a tranquil night, 
 many a delightful day, do I owe to thy kindness. Therefore 
 be thou everlastingly praised ! 
 
 Praised be thou for so many dangers averted, for such 
 frequent rescue, without which I should long since have 
 gone down to destruction. For the protection of thy angels, 
 who have been my companions and guardians; for my 
 agreeable connexion with amiable friends, who constitute my 
 pleasure, my helu, and my comfort; for all the means 
 through which thou hast sweetened my life, be thou per- 
 petually praised ! 
 
 Praised be thou for the troubles which thou hast allotted 
 
'33 MORNING COMMUMNGS 
 
 to me, and which have rendered me both wiser ana numbler, 
 for the consolation which thou liast imparted to me under 
 them, and for the happy issue which thou hast opened to me 
 out of them. 
 
 Praised be thou for the joys and gratifications with which 
 thou hast so abundantly enriched me. For every sunbeam 
 that cheers my heart, for every beverage that refreshes me, 
 for every morsel of food that nourishes me, for every cheer- 
 ful moment, be thou by me incessantly praised. 
 
 Thanks be to thee for the blessed hope of eternal life ; 
 thanks for the knowledge of thy holy will, which conducts 
 me to heaven. , 
 
 Praised be thou for the grace that thou disdainest not 
 my thanks, nor rejectest my prayer. Be praised, O Jesus, 
 for thy intercession, which sanctifies my gratitude, and makes 
 my petition acceptable. But where shall I leave off prais- 
 ing thy goodness ? O God, I cannot number, I cannot ex- 
 press by words all the instances of thy fatherly kindness. 
 But so long as I live I will boast of thy grace, and prolong , 
 in eternity that thanksgiving which I have here so imper- 
 fectly begun. I will love thee above all things, serve thee, 
 and keep thee constantly before my eyes and in my heart, 1 
 will praise thee for every blessing, however trifling in ap- 
 pearance, and enjoy none without feeling how unworthy I 
 am of it. Thus, in my future life, I shall be able to antici- 
 pate new proofs of thy merciful goodness, and always possess 
 thy favour and approbation. 
 
 JANUARY 24. 
 
 Employment of Time. 
 
 THIS day likewise, which God confers upon me, I ought to 
 employ in my preparation for eternity. And this moment 
 which already now, almost ere I had observed it, is fled for 
 ever constitutes a part of that precious irrevocable time, 
 of the rightful use of which I must hereafter give an account 
 to the Judge of the world. And, O God, how does this 
 thought weigh upon my heart, when I review my past life ! 
 
WITH GOD, 39 
 
 I cannot entertain it for an instant without shuddering at my 
 squandered hours, days, and years. Ah ! God be gracious 
 to me ! Enter not into judgment with me for my neglected 
 time ! I cannot render to thee an account of my years, how 
 then shall I do so of my elapsed hours and days ? I must 
 stand mute when thou sayest : " Deliver up the reckoning of 
 thy past life." And yet, O God, how uncertain is time ! It 
 rests in thy hands. Thou hast only to command, and my 
 body, which is now so active and so full of life, will be de - 
 prived of power and motion. Thou needest only abandon 
 me to my own misery, and the vigour of my existence va- 
 nishes, and I sink before thee into the grave. Ah ! for the 
 sake of my reformation delay my death sentence ; still pre- 
 serve for me this breath ; prolong }^et the hours of my life ; 
 grant me yet a little space, that I may repent of the past, 
 prize the future according to its value, and profit by the 
 present. 
 
 The Lord hears thy prayer, my soul ! Behold, already 
 again another day that he sends to thee. O ! regard it after 
 the estimation of its true worth. But how soon will this day 
 also be gone, even before I am fully aware of its presence ! 
 And equally fleeting, equally uncertain, are all the days which 
 I shall yet live. In the midst of the arrangements which I 
 form for futurity, under the strongest feeling of the pleasures 
 of life, in the arms of my friends, in the lap of prosperity, 
 that last moment which bears me into eternity, may surprise 
 me. And the Judge, the holy and the righteous one, will 
 require it back from me ! O ! that I might during this whole 
 day as seriously reflect on this as I do at present. Lord, do 
 thou teach me : teach me to number my days, and to turn my 
 hours to interest. What will it avail me to have lived for 
 twenty, thirty, or still more years, which have taken their 
 flight from me under the load of sin? But a MINUTE in 
 which I have feared thee an HOUR, in which I have been 
 busy with thee a DAY, in which I have become more pious 
 and more useful for the world, will bring me a blessing in 
 eternity. With what joyfulness will this eternity fill mv 
 heart, if I can look back without shame on the days which I 
 have spent ! But how frightful will be the recollection of the 
 numerous days which I have dissipated and lost ! Impress 
 this consideration, O God, deeply on my heart ; and let not 
 
40 MORNING COMMUNINGS 
 
 its influence quit me throughout the entire day. This is my 
 most zealous and chief desire. May the mercy of God, which 
 inclines me to form this wish, render me also able to accom- 
 plish it! And therefore do I cry unto thee, my loving 
 Father, with supplication. Without the support of thy 
 grace, I cannot fulfil any of my longings. My time is at 
 thy disposal ; and the power to use it rightly comes from 
 thee alone. Vouchsafe it to me for thy goodness' sake. 
 
 JANUARY 25. 
 
 Happiness and Advantage of a Holy and Pious Heart. 
 
 IN the consciousness of having lived before God, lies all the 
 happiness which I can wish for both in heaven and on earth ; 
 be this therefore the sole object of all my desires and endea- 
 vours. If through thee, my God, I have obtained a pious, 
 satisfied, and faithful heart, then I am rich, then I am great, 
 then I am wise, then I am happy. The whole world may 
 strive after earthly grandeur: I am sufficiently dignified if 
 I am admitted into the friendship of God, and belong to the 
 redeemed of Christ. The covetous may thirst more and 
 more after riches : I am contented if thy beneficent good- 
 ness, O God, preserves my life. Those who are ambitious 
 of learning may continue insatiable in their desire of know- 
 ledge : I am wise enough, if I understand and bring into 
 practice the science which teaches me how to live virtuously 
 and die blessedly. All mankind may struggle for titles arid 
 honour: that I am a Christian, is for me the most exalted 
 title and the most splendid honour. 
 
 And what has hitherto prevented me from thinking thus 
 nobly, and acting thus wisely ? O ! how often have I sacri- 
 ficed the glory of Christianity to the vanity of the world 
 How often ah God, thou knowest my corrupted heart ! 
 how often have I resolved, when the voice of the passions 
 and of vice should entice me, to despise their invitation, and 
 to follow thy call ; and have yet yielded to them ! Often 
 was it my firm purpose to remain constantly true to thee ; 
 and yet the possessions of the earth needed only to show 
 
WITH GOD. 41 
 
 themselves, and my determination vanished ! I perceive 
 now how absolutely essential for me are the guidance of thy 
 good Spirit, and the directing influence of thy grace. There- 
 fore do I cry to thee : O ! give me a pious and a holy heart, 
 and replenish me with that wisdom which glories in thy 
 favour, and in the redemption of Jesus. 
 
 O ! the spectacle of the cross of Jesus makes a philo- 
 sopher and a Christian of me. Here I behold virtue in its 
 plenitude, truth in its strength, the wise man in his exalta- 
 tion, and the Christian in his grandeur and dignity. This 
 cross of my Redeemer must wave before my eyes, if at any 
 time my heart should become fickle and faithless. And 
 thou who didst suffer for me on this cross, do thou thyself 
 through the force of thy agonies subdue the perverted in- 
 clinations of this rebellious heart. May thy love lighten 
 for me the combat against sin ! and may my faith in thee 
 enable me to gain the victory over the world ! 
 
 With so many encouragements, and so much support, I 
 shall be able to pass this day to thy honour. In me shall it 
 be made manifest how much the Christian can effect, whom 
 thou, O God, sustainest, arid how happy the man is whom 
 thou favourest. In this render me an example for my 
 brethren, and evince in me that wonderful goodness, thou 
 Saviour of such as put their trust in thee. Guide my steps, 
 that I may arrive at that felicity which is the boundary of 
 all my wishes and all my cares. In everything else do 
 with me according to thy pleasure. If I have thee for my 
 friend, for my support, and for my rescue, all will be easy 
 for me, endurable, and advantageous. 
 
 JANUARY 26. 
 
 Confession of past Sins, Resolution of Amendment, and a 
 Petition for God's Grace. 
 
 PRAISE the Lord, O my soul, and forget not what good 
 he has done for thee ! O God, my Creator, I thank thee 
 with gladness for all the mercy which thou hast shown to 
 me in my past life, and especially in the past night. That 
 
42 MORNING COMMUNINGS 
 
 during this night I experienced no injury or misfortune, 
 that no terror awoke me, that no sickness attacked me, and 
 that death rushed not upon me ; that I still live to-day and 
 enjoy my life, all this I owe to thee, almighty defender of my 
 existence ! But am I, likewise, worthy of all the love which 
 thou daily evincest towards me ? O ! long since had I de- 
 served that thou shouldst chastise me. And yet hast thou 
 still always patiently borne with me. Ah ! I am ashamed, 
 long-suffering God, of my unthankfulness, I repent of my 
 transgressions against thee, and this day steadfastly design 
 through thy grace to become more grateful and obedient. 
 
 But, O God ! do thou qualify me to fulfil my good reso- 
 lution, and to perform my obligation. Let the thought 
 never be absent from my soul, that thou, the Omnipresent, 
 art everywhere with me, and at all times ; so shall I walk 
 before thee in holy fear, so shall I live tranquilly, and when 
 my time is past, be gathered to my forefathers in bliss, and 
 then be able constantly afterwards to appear with joy before 
 the Judge of the quick and the dead. 
 
 If I am thus disposed, thou wilt, according to thy gra- 
 cious promise, go farther with me, and bless me and keep 
 me. This thy blessing and thy protection, I supplicate also 
 for the present day. Instruct me likewise so to direct my 
 conduct, that it may in some degree contribute both to thy 
 glory, and to the benefit of the world. Grant me all that is 
 requisite for the maintenance of my life, and that thou 
 thinkest useful for me. Avert from me all sufferings and 
 misfortunes which are either injurious to me, or beyond rny 
 power to bear ; but what I must undergo, that help me with 
 patience to support, and happily to overcome. Shed thy 
 pity this day, O my God, over all my fellow Christians. 
 They are all created by thee, all, as I am, ransomed by the 
 blood of Jesus ; all, like me, destined for a blessed immor- 
 tality. O ! would that it might go well with them all ! 
 Would that all might turn to thee, and be happy for ever ! 
 Still view with mercy, indulgent God, those who have 
 hitherto abused thy goodness, and deliver them not over to 
 thy just vengeance. Listen to the desires of all the wretched 
 who shall sigh forth to thee to-day their miseries, and set 
 them free from the evil that afflicts them. Make this day 
 for all my friends a prosperous and propitious day. Mag- 
 

 WITH GOD. 43 
 
 nify thy marvellous goodness throughout the whole world, 
 and let every inhabitant of it, according to his necessities, 
 experience thy grace. Be a shepherd to them that are gone 
 astray, an instructor to the ignorant, a father to the sinner, 
 a champion to the oppressed, a physician to the sick, a com- 
 forter to the dying. And this art thou verily, thou all-bene- 
 ficent Father ; thou art so even without our prayers ; thou 
 art kind to all, and hast compassion on each of thy creatures. 
 
 JANUARY 27. 
 
 Effect of the Example and Redemption of the Saviour on 
 the Christian Mind and Conduct. 
 
 YES, when I have thy image before my eyes, thy holy 
 commandment in my heart, when I am devoted to thee, my 
 Saviour, in thankfulness and love, then do I possess strength 
 enough to vanquish the world, and to finish my race with 
 joy, even though the cares and sufferings of life distract me, 
 and my course be toilsome and difficult. When I think of 
 the fidelity with which thou, in the midst of derision and 
 hatred, didst complete the work which thy Father had en- 
 trusted to thee, then do I feel new courage to maintain to 
 the end an uninterrupted integrity of profession, in indefati- 
 gableness and zeal, even though mankind should reward me 
 with enmity, and many of the upright intentions of my heart 
 remain unperceived. I bear thy name, I know thy pro- 
 mises, and dearly have I been ransomed by thee ; how then 
 could T ungratefully abandon the way which thou hast trodden 
 before me, the way that leads to heaven ? When 1 contem- 
 plate the constancy with which thou, although thou wast 
 tempted on all sides like ourselves, didst continue true to 
 thy God and to duty until death, and even under the most 
 excruciating death; how can I yield, faint-hearted and fickle, 
 to seduction how deny thee before the face of my brethren, 
 and be ashamed of thee ? or how can I be still undeter- 
 mined whether to follow the charms of the world, or thy 
 invitation and my own conscience? No; to thee will I be- 
 long, thy pattern will I imitate, as thou wast minded so will 
 
44 MORNING COMMUNINQS 
 
 I be. Then will thy Spirit dwell in me ; the spirit of truth 
 which the world knoweth not; the spirit of love that maketh 
 strong for good works ; the spirit of humility that preserveth 
 from pride ; the spirit of faith which cheereth in adversity ; 
 the spirit of piety that conducteth to God. This will be the 
 true guide and the mighty protector of my life, keeping me 
 up and supporting me when I stumble, comforting my heart 
 in woe, fortifying my patience in heavy trials, and enliven- 
 ing my hope. 
 
 O ! how invaluable is the consolation which thy redemp- 
 tion bestows upon me, thou Saviour of my soul ! How 
 sincere is my wish never to forfeit this consolation, but to 
 be worthy the grace of my God ! To thee, Divine Inter- 
 cessor, be my understanding, my will, and my whole life 
 devoted. Let no inclination arise within me, no thought, no 
 wish let no word escape from me, which may be unworthy 
 of the love wherewith thou hast redeemed me. I can enjoy 
 no benefit that reminds me not of thy expiation, through 
 which all blessings are secured to me. Under the allure- 
 ments of wickedness restrain me, I beseech thee ; under the 
 weakness of my heart strengthen me ; and under my suffer- 
 ings infuse inco me fortitude and cheerfulness willingly and 
 submissively to endure them. 
 
 Then shall I be able to promise myself thy blessing, and 
 already here receive a foretaste of that felicity which will 
 eternally rejoice me in the presence of God. Yonder I shall 
 perfectly comprehend the infinite worth of thy atonement, 
 and fully gather in all the fruits of it. Yonder I shall praise 
 thee everlastingly for the blessedness which thou hast ob- 
 tained for me. To this end vouchsafe to me thy aid, gra- 
 cious, merciful Saviour, to whose name be glory and thanks- 
 giving proclaimed now and for evermore. 
 
 JANUARY 28. 
 
 The Omnipresence of the Divinity. 
 
 I STAND before thy eyes, omnipresent God ! What awe 
 seizes my soul, when I bethink myself of thy universal 
 

 WITH GOD 
 
 presence ! But at the same time what joy fills my heart, 
 when I consider the happiness which the same confers upon 
 me. I can hence be assured that thou nearest my prayer, 
 and markest the wishes which in this hour of early light I 
 pour out for thy acceptance : and how much honour accrues 
 to me in this, that thou, the God of majesty, thou who art 
 encompassed by the archangels and all the heavens in thy 
 glory, condescendest thyself to dust, and deignest to extend 
 to it thy gracious observance ! At this idea my whole bosom 
 glows, O Lord, with sacred reverence and adoration. I 
 prostrate myself before thee. Truly the Lord is in this 
 place : how holy is this spot ! Here is nothing else but 
 God's house ! Here is the gate of heaven ! 
 
 O ! that I might never forget that thou art every moment 
 present with me as now ; that thy eyes, Omniscient, every- 
 where behold me, and that to thee everything is divulged, how- 
 ever hidden it may be from the world and from myself ! Thou 
 therefore must remain the constant subject of my attention ; 
 and it must never cease to be my unalterable duty to keep 
 thee in my imagination, and in my heart. I now draw near 
 to the tumult of the world, to intercourse with my brethren, 
 and likewise to those temptations which are in this life to 
 prove, preserve, and purify the piety of thy children. O ! 
 that I may, especially in the hours of enticement, have thee, 
 thou reader of the heart, strong in my view, and, fortified 
 with veneration, bravely fight and successfully conquer ! 
 Amid all the distractions and perplexities of this earthly 
 abode, let that duty which my calling and my destiny lay 
 charge to my mind, be always present to rne. And when 
 the necessities of life force me to provide for my house, for 
 my body, for my occupation, and for my external condition, 
 let me never fail to have thee in view, through whom all my 
 worldly connexions must be blessed, and all my endeavours 
 prospered. 
 
 With a heart thus sincere let me also look up to thee, O 
 Lord, as my preserver and rescuer. So long as I live here, 
 I shall be surrounded by dangers in which I must inevitably 
 perish, if I expect not help and safety from thee. And 
 should I, at any time, be intimidated at the spectacle of such 
 great perils, let those wonders of thy grace which thou per- 
 formest when thy children are put to trial, be present to my 
 
46 MORNING COMMUNINGS 
 
 recollection. Should the multitude of my foes affright me, 
 then must my soul hold in conte reflation that mighty aid 
 which places all thy votaries in security from their enemies. 
 And finally, should this make me sad, that thou, O God, 
 often long delayest, ere thou answerest the prayer of thy 
 followers ; that so many of my tears, my sighs, and my 
 wishes seem to be lost : O ! then must my soul paint to itself 
 that joyous season of salvation, when thou wilt fulfil all that 
 thou hast covenanted. 
 
 And thus, should my present life not fully accomplish my 
 desires, I will set thee on all occasions before my eyes as 
 my eternal rewarder. What this world conceals from me, 
 the future world will make evident. What this world teaches 
 me to hope for, the next will bestow upon me. That which 
 in this world I have renounced, I shall recover back a thou- 
 sand-fold in the world to come. Strengthen thyselfj O my 
 soul, through these considerations. Keep the Lord always 
 in view. For he is thy God, thy rescuer, and thy recom- 
 penser. He will let no good thing be wanting to them that 
 fear him ; but has regard to his household, and will neither 
 forsake them nor forget them 
 
 JANUARY 29. 
 
 The Lord great in Counsel and mighty in Deed. 
 
 UNDER the shortness of my views and the weakness of my 
 faculties, it is my strongest consolation that the Lord, in 
 whose management all my interests are placed, is great in 
 counsel and mighty in deed. I know not the fate which is 
 appointed to me either for this day or for this hour ; while 
 He who orders and superintends the entire course of things, 
 sees not only the destinies of this day and of this hour, but 
 to him the occurrences of my whole life are obvious and 
 clear. And perplexed as I may often be, to form a deter- 
 mination advantageous to myself, his advice is still more 
 powerful; it instructs me through the voice of my con- 
 science, and helps me out of all embarrassments which 
 occasion me vexation and care. O ! why am I frequently 
 
WITH GOD. 47 
 
 so foolish as to follow the propensities and resolutions of my 
 own foolish heart ? Wherefore do I not resign all my deli- 
 berations and all rny purposes to the infinite intelligence and 
 government of my God, whose decrees alone are great, and 
 wise, and blessed ? How much less cause should I have to 
 regret my determinations, were I to submit them all to my 
 Father's wise and propitious will ! And with what compo- 
 sure should I look into futurity, if I always remembered 
 that the Lord who rules the future can neither err nor be 
 deceived ? 
 
 But I will now no longer oppose my own so limited intel- 
 lect to the boundless wisdom of God, nor my own weakness 
 to his omnipotent sway. Innumerable proofs convince me 
 how full of knowledge, how puissant, and how benevolent 
 the preserver of my existence is. I will not then through 
 my folly detract from his wisdom, from his universal might 
 through my feebleness or from his goodness through my un- 
 thankfulness. I will humbly reflect on my own meanness, that 
 my heart may ever more impressively feel the greatness of God. 
 
 If I live according to the intentions which I now form at 
 the commencement of this day, O ! how happy and con- 
 tented shall I be during the remainder of it ! O God, pre- 
 pare for me this contentment, grant me this happiness. 
 Give me always more and more to know my own ignorance, 
 my own deficiency of understanding, and my own inability. 
 Never must I present myself before thy eyes with a proud 
 and imperious heart ; constantly must I regard myself as a 
 weak, helpless, and sinful creature. Only in thee, thou 
 source of wisdom, shall my heart seek counsel and know- 
 ledge. From thee only, thou God of strength, will I ex- 
 pect support and assistance. And if I thus sincerely aban- 
 don myself to thee and to thy governance, then shall I find 
 in thee both counsel and wisdom. Thou wilt grant to me 
 all the wishes of a heart which, thus pious, satisfied, and 
 devoted to th<*e, recommends to thee all its ways, and joy- 
 fully hopes that thou wilt bring all things to a prosperous 
 issue. Thou wilt endue me with prudence and firmness in 
 all my doubts and difficulties, to discover and choose what 
 is best, and also endow me with force to carry my selection 
 into practice. Let me only, in all that I act, think, or say, 
 observe thy holy will, and in everything comfort myself 
 
48 MORNING COMMUNINGS 
 
 consistently with it. Let thy wonderful, glorious counsel 
 bear me happily through all the combats and hardships of 
 life, and bring me at length to that better world, where I 
 shall triumphantly exclaim: THOU GREAT AND STRONG 
 GOD ! LORD SABAOTH is THY NAME; GREAT ART THOU 
 
 IN COUNSEL. AND MIGHTY IN THY DOINGS ! 
 
 JANUARY 30. 
 
 God's Patience and Indulgence. 
 
 WITH what patience, my Lord and my God, dost thou bear 
 with thy weak, thy disobedient children ! with what good- 
 ness dost thou extend the time of their probation for eter- 
 nity ! Even to me, who have so often abused thy kindness, 
 so manifoldly transgressed against thee, even to me thou 
 sendest a new day of life, a day which I am to employ to 
 the welfare of my soul, and my own amendment. O ! what 
 a dear unmerited gift of thy grace is indeed every new day 
 of our existence, and how powerfully does it excite us to live 
 for heaven, and in heaven to collect treasures ! 
 
 Ah ! God, what would have become of me if thou hadst 
 snatched me away in the middle of my course ? If thou, 
 when I had mis-spent an hour, hadst immediately required 
 from me an account of it ; what would have become of me, 
 if thou hadst changed into death my sleep, to which, void of 
 care, though laden with sin, I had abandoned myself? 
 What would have become of me, if thou hadst cut short my 
 life and my term of grace at the very instant when I was 
 about to revenge myself on my enemy; when I have allowed 
 the sun to go down upon my wrath ; when I have been 
 plotting avaricious and uncharitable designs ; when I have 
 run headlong in the riot of my lusts, and forgotten death 
 and eternity ; when some sickness had attacked me which 
 reduced me to the brink of the grave ? Alas ! already had 
 I long inhabited that frightful place where thou torturest 
 with everlasting punishment the despisers of thy much-suf- 
 fering indulgence. 
 
 And what would now become of me, if these riches of the 
 
WITH GOJX 49 
 
 mercy of God should in the future be locked up from me ; 
 if my former unthankfulness and obduracy should induce 
 the Lord to withdraw from me his favour ? God of all pa- 
 tience and endurance, cease not to bear with me, and to act 
 upon me. Subdue, through thy grace, my hard and incon- 
 stant heart ; and do thou thyself bring to nought the obsta- 
 cles which I erect against the blissful influence of thy Spirit. 
 As thou sparedst David in his iniquities : as thou deniedst 
 not totally to Peter the look of thy grace ; and as thou 
 rescuedst Paul from the destruction into which he was hast- 
 ening O ! so let me likewise experience thy pity. But 
 give me also the grace as sincerely to confess my sins, as 
 earnestly to bewail my failings, and as promptly to obey thy 
 summons, as did these thy cherished friends. This day too, 
 I am assured of it by thy grace and by the intercession of 
 my Jesus, this day too wilt thou through thy goodness in- 
 cline my soul to thee, and call me back from the path of 
 perdition in which I walk. Grant that I may hear thy 
 voice, and harden not my heart. Graciously regard me, 
 when with assiduousness and zeal 1 prosecute the work of 
 my reform, when I lay out to proper use the time which 
 thou affordest me ; and further lend an ear to my prayer, 
 when full of confidence I supplicate thee for thy assistance. 
 For thou alone producest in me both the will to purpose, 
 and the power to accomplish that which is good. 
 
 JANUARY 31. 
 
 The constantly renewed Favour and Grace of God the only 
 Source of each Day's Value and Gratification. 
 
 WHAT would the present day possess to rejoice me, if I had 
 not the comfortable conviction, that with every new morning 
 the grace of God is also renewed over me ? What would 
 my life avail me, or how could I enjoy life itself, if I were 
 unable to continue it under the benignant superintendence of 
 God? And what would the world be without thy indul- 
 gence and thy blessing, most gracious Father? To thy 
 mercy alone am I indebted for the happy days of my exist- 
 
 E 
 
50 MORNING COMMUNINGS 
 
 ence; it is this that sweetens my pilgrimage, and renders 
 earth and its griefs supportable. With what satisfaction 
 can I now meet the rising of the sun, since with a loud, 
 intelligible voice it publishes to me the renovation of thy 
 favour ! 
 
 God, my Father, I revere the treasures of thy mercy, and 
 desire nothing more ardently, than that I may praise thy 
 grace with my whole life. Let thy immeasurable goodness 
 especially excite me to serve thee with a pure heart, but let 
 it also instigate me, in pursuance of thy example, to awake 
 anew every morning my tender affection towards my neigh- 
 bour. Thou forgivest me my misdeeds ; let me imitate thee 
 and forgive my brethren. Thou endurest me with forbear- 
 ance; let me moderate the impatience to which the ingrati- 
 tude and the follies of my fellow-men so lightly rouse me. 
 Thou providest with infinite kindness for my bliss ; let me 
 be as charitably solicitous for the welfare of my mortal asso- 
 ciates, and think with heartfelt commiseration on such of 
 them as pass their moments in sorrow and misery. 
 
 With what tranquillity and joy should I thus be able in 
 the evening of the day to look back upon the hours which 
 I had just lived, if, blessed by friends and foes, yes, and by 
 thee also, O my God, I could abandon myself to sleep ! 
 And how delightful a consolation will the consciousness of 
 a cleansed heart bestow upon me, if I am compelled, such 
 being thy will, to be subjected to afflictions ! Then I shall 
 dare to hold myself secure of thy blessing, and hereafter to 
 expect the repetition of thy favour 
 
 I finish with the passing day another month. Should I 
 attempt to count the benefits which, during this period, thou 
 hast vouchsafed to me, I should then find them more nume- 
 rous than the grains of sand on the shores of the ocean ! 
 But should I also calculate, in the opposite balance, the 
 trespasses and the faults by which I have rendered myself 
 undeserving of thy goodness, with what remorse should I be 
 obliged to confess that I am not worthy to be called thy 
 child, and to be ranked among the redeemed of Jesus 
 Christ! O God, I humble myself before thee. Pardon, 
 for Jesus' sake, all the sins through which I have offended 
 thee. Let me live this last day to thy glory, and once 
 more experience thy mercy and thy beneficence. May thy 
 
WITH GOD. 
 
 51 
 
 grace work in me that happy disposition through which 
 I may become deserving of thy approbation and thy 
 blessing ! 
 
 FEBRUARY 1. 
 
 Adherence to Jesus. 
 
 To cling to Jesus this is the most important and the most 
 blessed determination which a Christian can form. When 
 we know what Jesus has done for us ; when we think what 
 we should have been without him ; when we consider the 
 claims which, as a Saviour and Redeemer, he holds on our 
 love and fidelity what duty can appear less questionable 
 than that which binds us to adore him ; to believe in hirn ; 
 and to be his both in life and in death ? O ! how many 
 sufferings did it cost Jesus to raise us from the servitude of 
 sin to that blessed freedom of the children of God which 
 his participation in our nature grants to us ! And shall we 
 not from duty nay, far more from inclination, render our- 
 selves into his possession ? Shall we not love him, though 
 he sacrificed his own life to our good? Shall we not con- 
 tinue true to him, though with inexpressible fidelity he loved 
 us even unto death ? No ; far be it from us to dishonour 
 his affection by such ingratitude. If we live, let us live to 
 the Lord. If we die, let us die to the Lord. Thus whether 
 we live or whether we die, we are the Lord's. How su- 
 premely happy will it make us, if we devote ourselves thus 
 implicitly to our Redeemer ; if it become as much our joy as 
 it is our duty to depend upon him, and to obey him ! Then 
 shall we find that peace and that tranquillity which the 
 world knows not. Then shall we be able to retain our com- 
 posure under all the perplexities of life, because we shall be 
 subject to the dominion of a master who is powerful to con- 
 trol all misery and all disquietude. Then, under the con- 
 sciousness of our frailties, will this thought cheer us : that 
 Jesus has compassion on our weakness, since he himself has 
 felt and endured human infirmity. Then even under our 
 sins will that curse which he bore for our sakes, that death 
 
52 MORNIJVG COMMUNINGS 
 
 the bitterness of which he tasred, and that everlasting atone- 
 ment which he has accomplished for us, comfort us beyond 
 all utterance. Then finally, in death, will the love with which 
 we were devoted to Jesus, and the faith with which we put 
 our confidence in him, become our surest consolation, and 
 the most efficacious means of strengthening us against the 
 pangs of dissolution. Jesus, my Lord and my God ! through 
 thee how happy might I become ! Why then do I delay 
 actually to be so? O ! let the consideration of thy kindness 
 and of thy sufferings endue me with the disposition to adore 
 thee above all things, and with the strength to rest upon thee, 
 and to live for thee. Let me, with the dawn of this day, 
 renew my purpose to dedicate myself to thee for ever. Be 
 thou my joy, when the lusts of the world conspire to allure 
 me. Be thou my delight, when my heart would incline to 
 the pleasures of sensuality. Be thou the object of my affec- 
 tions, when any unworthy propensity towards that which is 
 of this earth awakes within me. Be thou my wisdom, my 
 strength, my comfort, my hope, and my existence. I shall, 
 perhaps, this day witness many events, and hear many 
 opinions, that may tend to weaken my better resolutions, 
 and to shake my fidelity. Nay, my own heart may draw 
 me aside from thy sacred communion. Grant me, therefore, 
 I beseech thee, courage and fortitude to battle with the 
 enemies of my felicity, and lend me vigour to subdue them. 
 Under all the temptations of sin, under every calamity, and 
 in the hour of death itself, be this my unalterable resolution: 
 "I will not forsake my Jesus." 
 
 FEBRUARY 2. 
 
 Alleviation of the Pangs of Death. 
 
 " LORD, now lettest thou thy servant depart in peace, according 
 to thy word : for mine eyes have seen thy salvation, which 
 thou hast prepared before the face of all people; to be a light 
 to lighten the gentiles, and to be the glory of thy people 
 Israel/' (Luke ii. 29.) Under these ravishing excitements 
 of faith died the pious Simeon ; and with an equallv contented 
 

 WITH GOD. 53 
 
 heart may every Christian die who possesses the same hope 
 and the same belief as this venerable old man. For, what 
 bitterness can there be in death, if I behold in its approach 
 that salvation which Jesus has obtained for me, if I already 
 here feel a foretaste of that felicity which shall make my 
 joy complete in heaven? And, if thus I leave the present 
 world in the certain expectation of finding a better; if I lay 
 aside this body to receive a glorified one ; if I sink into the 
 tomb to rise from it again and to be eternally exalted above 
 death and corruption; tell me where then is the frightful 
 form of death itself, or of the grave? Such, however, are 
 the prospects which open to the view of the expiring Chris- 
 tian ; such the hopes which indemnify him for the loss of 
 life. I will endeavour beforehand to ingraft these grounds 
 of hope in my heart, and now, while life and health are both 
 my portion, think of the hours when both will be gone. 
 This morning shall remind me of the everlasting morn of 
 the heavenly life : these my renovated faculties shall recall 
 to my contemplation the glorified state into which I arn 
 hereafter to enter : this invigorated strength of body shall 
 bring to my remembrance that incorruptible frame which 
 shall fall to my lot in the celestial kingdom. For, O my 
 God, small as is the interval betwixt the morning and the 
 evening, equally brief in comparison is the space that sepa- 
 rates life and death. At most, a few remaining steps, and 
 I approach the termination of my course, I reach that dark 
 and joyless vale, at the idea of which even now I cannot help 
 shuddering. Will the vain . pleasures, the agreeable societies, 
 or those other gratifications which constitute the immediate 
 objects of my desires, be then able to enliven my feelings ? 
 What will there then be to comfort me, except the blessed 
 hope of the resurrection, the salvation which strengthened 
 the dying Simeon, and the assurance of life eternal? These 
 alone will mitigate the anguish of death, and fill my bosom 
 with peace, that, like Paul, I may wish for my latter end, 
 and, like Simeon, bless it. And this blessing for my de- 
 parting spirit I supplicate from thee, O most merciful 
 Redeemer! Perhaps in my last extremity the pangs of 
 disease, the weakness of my body, and the tears of my sur- 
 rounding friends, may prevent me from breathing forth to 
 thee the sighings of my soul. Now, therefore, do I call 
 
54 MORNING COMMUNINGS 
 
 upon thee, and entreat thee to grant me consolation and re- 
 freshment in the hour of death. Thou, O God, thou of a 
 certainty art my help in that final necessity in which death 
 will place me ; thou alone beholdest the secret agony of my 
 heart, the last tears which weariness of life and longing after 
 immortality constrain me to shed; thou who hast pity upon 
 me nearest the sighs and groans of my heart why then 
 should I be afraid? If I may further venture lo implore 
 thy grace for this awful season, grant me a joyful mind, a 
 heart filled with such love and confidence towards thee as 
 has often cheered me in the days of health. If my soul 
 repose in thy hands, I shall die happily and in peace. Lord 
 Jesus ! let it now and for ever find rest with thee ! 
 
 FEBRUARY 3. 
 
 The Treasure of a good Conscience. 
 
 WHEN I consider the great happiness that is connected with 
 a good conscience, I know nothing on earth which I should 
 more zealously implore from God, or for which, should he 
 grant it to me, I ought more earnestly to thank him. All 
 the joys of this world derive their value originally from a 
 good conscience. The more tranquil my mind is, the more 
 pleasing will be the gratifications of life, the more support- 
 able its disappointments, and even death so much the more 
 gentle. I may possess everything that, according to the 
 judgment of mankind, appertains to a happy and agreeable 
 existence health, riches, honour, wisdom, and pleasure; 
 but what will health avail me while my heart struggles with 
 doubt and sadness, and is infected by the poison of sin? 
 What will riches, if the tears of the widow and the orphan 
 bedew them, and if an agonized bosom goads me with 
 my iniquities ? What will honour serve me, if my soul 
 tells me that I am rejected in the eyes of God? What 
 will understanding, if my heart reproaches me with weak- 
 ness ? What will my very life profit me, if I am compelled 
 to view the past, the present, and the future, with anguish 
 and vexation, and everywhere discover my own wretchedness ? 
 

 WITH GOD. 55 
 
 And if too the adversities of this mortal state should overtake 
 me, how insufferable would they appear, since I should be 
 obliged to regard my own transgressions as the cause of 
 them ? Lastly, what will become of me in the hour of 
 death, if terror and remorse should follow in the train of the 
 destroyer; if the past should unfold to me my crimes, the 
 present my misery, and the future my punishment ? 
 
 How unfortunate should I be, if such should ever prove 
 the state of my soul ! Preserve, then, my soul, O Lord my 
 God, that it sin not against thee ! Let it be my lot to keep 
 a good conscience, and to walk before thee with a pure heart. 
 I shall never have cause to be grieved, if, with a good con- 
 science, I possess the conviction that through Christ I have 
 been reconciled to thee, O my God. I shall not dare to 
 murmur at my fate, when I know and believe that it rests 
 in the hands of the Almighty. I shall enjoy all the plea- 
 sures of life, without being tortured by the reflection that 
 I have abused them. In all my calamities this will be my 
 comfort, that I suffer under the providence of God, and that 
 no trouble can separate me from his love. Armed with this 
 faith and with this conviction, I shall conquer the terrors of 
 death ; and my dissolution, though it were by nature the 
 most excruciating, will become mild and easy. And lastly, 
 on the coming of the Judge of the world, this good con- 
 science will accompany me to the tribunal of Jesus, and there 
 celebrate its triumph. 
 
 O God ! vouchsafe me this felicity ! Give to me strength 
 in holiness of conscience to imitate the Saviour to whom 
 I belong, who has left me so glorious an example, and who 
 has also purchased me at so high a price. May the grateful 
 remembrance of this truth preserve me from supineness, that 
 I fall not into a slumber of conscience, and grow indifferent 
 to my eternal happiness or misery ! Excite me to the perform- 
 ance of good through that peace which is in Christ Jesus 
 the reward of righteousness. Let my wounded conscience 
 be healed through the belief that to thee, my Judge, I am 
 propitiated by the Redeemer. Through steadfast amend- 
 ment will I seek to render myself worthy of so gracious 
 a blessing. This promise I make and vow to thee, the Om- 
 niscient. 
 
56 MORNING COMMCJNINGS 
 
 FEBRUARY 4. 
 
 The Path of Godliness leads through Toils of short 
 Duration to perpetual Bliss. 
 
 How sorrowful is oftentimes my feeble heart, when it feels 
 the difficulties and the exertions which it must take upon 
 itself in striving after holiness! It often then appears to 
 me too hard a task to walk always in the path of virtue, to 
 err in no word, to violate no duty, to leave no good work un- 
 fulfilled. How frequently am I thus compelled to sigh over 
 the weakness and the instability of my own heart, and to be- 
 wail myself! And yet my Saviour styled it a soft yoke and 
 a gentle burden to follow after him and to be faithful and 
 obedient to his commands. O ! then, of a certainty, my 
 will is not yet strong, my zeal not lively, my love of good- 
 ness not sufficiently innate and sincere ; I do not yet care- 
 fully and thankfully employ the means and the incentives to 
 virtue which the Lord bestows upon me through his holy word, 
 through my own conscience, and through the example of my 
 Redeemer. Is it not God also who creates within me both 
 the purpose and the accomplishment of what is good? But 
 my cowardly heart shuns that contest with its wicked lusts, 
 flies that self-denial, through which alone it can become 
 strong and firm, pious and holy. It will renounce no folly, 
 take up no burden. Yet had not Jesus himself to contend 
 with the tempter, to deny himself, and to bear the grievances 
 of life, before he could enter into his glory ? From his birth 
 even to his death his existence was full of toil, trouble, and 
 tribulation. And would not I desire to be like to him in con- 
 stancy and faithfulness ? No, far be it from me to act so 
 basely. I have this day resolved before God to overcome 
 all the obstacles that stand in the way of virtue, to fight man- 
 fully against my passions and lusts, and under all circum- 
 stances to follow Jesus. I am determined to endure 
 without murmuring all the sufferings which I may this day 
 encounter. The asperities arid the unpleasantness of my 
 pilgrimage shall not deter me from going in the road that is 
 prescribed to me. I shall find encouragements enough, if I 
 only perform my duties with uprightness. I recommend my- 
 
WITH GOD. 57 
 
 self, O God, to thy supporting and holy grace, without which 
 my best resolutions must remain ineffectual. Confirm me in 
 my combat with sin, that I may not be carried away by 
 the principles and the pattern of the ungodly. Give me the 
 wisdom not to allow myself to be enchained by the fair form 
 which the vices deceitfully assume, or captivated by the 
 charms of sensual enjoyment, Let me proceed with forti- 
 tude in the way of godliness, and through unmovable fidelity 
 attain the goal of ail my endeavours, the end of all my toils. 
 With what satisfaction shall I then look back upon all the 
 hardships which I surmounted ! How thoroughly shall I 
 be convinced, that the narrow way, by which I journeyed, 
 has been for me the road to eternal life ! With what fervour 
 shall I for ever thank thee, O my God, that of thy infinite 
 mercy, it has pleased thee to guide me, in this perfect path, 
 to the enjoyment of complete and endless felicity ! 
 
 FEBRUARY 5. 
 
 God the Christian's Protector and Guide. 
 
 YES-, truly it is my sweetest consolation and my highest hap- 
 piness, that I walk under the providence of a gracious and 
 infinitely powerful God; and it shall always continue my 
 joy to abide by him and to put my confidence in him. Why 
 should I scorn my own welfare, and place my trust in crea- 
 tures as frail and as foolish as myself? No : the Lord is my 
 deliverer, the Lord is my teacher, the Lord is my guide, the 
 Lord is my keeper. 
 
 The Lord is my protector: his infinite goodness sees all 
 the dangers to which my life is exposed; his might can 
 defend me in every difficulty, even in my utmost need; his 
 goodness is constantly inclined to uphold and to save me. 
 Never yet has the Lord left himself without a witness in me. 
 Where no man could help me, there was his aid nigh; where 
 no man heeded my complaints', there did he hear the voice 
 of my supplications and my tears. For the future, therefore, 
 on him must my whole soul rely, and on him only rest its 
 hope. So long as I live I shall be surrounded by numerous 
 
58 MORN1NQ COMMUNINOS 
 
 perils. Nay, who knows what may even this day await me ? 
 I now abandon myself, O God, to thy all-wise and omnipo- 
 tent protection. Disclose to me, I implore thee, the dangers 
 which I am perhaps approaching, and snatch me with a 
 strong arm out of my difficulties. In my ignorance this is 
 my consolation, that the Lord himself is my teacher to in- 
 struct me in the most important of all knowledge the fear 
 of God. Merciful Deity, I give up my heart to thee, that 
 thou mayest fashion it; my understanding, that thou mayest 
 enlighten it ; iny will, that thou mayest sanctify it ; and 
 my entire spirit, that thou mayest keep it blameless till 
 the day of thy coming. But I, weak and stumbling child 
 that I am, see before me so many stray paths that may lead 
 me away from thee; so many windings in which I may 
 entangle myself ! O ! be thou then my leader, and conduct 
 me in the even path. Discover to me all the mazes in 
 which I may wander to my destruction ; and guard my steps 
 that they fail not. How greatly do I rejoice in the belief, 
 that thou art powerful in my weakness, and that thy grace 
 guides me in all truth ! 
 
 Let thy eye, most bountiful God, look down upon me this 
 day with compassion. Thou hast brought me into the world, 
 now also, I beseech thee, accompany me through it with thy 
 providence. Turn riot thy countenance from me when I 
 entreat thee, and grant to me, for the sake of Jesus my 
 Saviour, all that it befits me to possess. Even should sor- 
 rows be my portion, I will accept them with cheerfulness: 
 only do thou strengthen me with thy assistance, and gladden 
 my heart with thy consolation. To thy good governance I re- 
 sign my whole life : thou earnest me over a smooth road, 
 and whatever thou doest is well done, is profitable for me, 
 and effectual towards the purifying and hallowing of my 
 heart. 
 
 PEBEUAEY 6. 
 
 The Word of God. 
 
 ADORED for ever be thou, O God, for the word which thou 
 hast given to me ! What could indeed constitute my conso- 
 
WITH GOD. 59 
 
 lation in this world, if it were not thy word ? What could 
 cheer me amid the transitoriness of life, and the frailty of all 
 earthly things, if I had not the testimonies that shall remain, 
 though even the heavens and the earth should pass away ? 
 I thank thee, my God, with heartfelt emotion, for this gift. 
 I see how the world with all its lusts disappears, and how 
 all things draw to an end. Bu-t thy word endures for ever- 
 more, and therefore do I put my trust in thy holy name. 
 My whole soul rejoices in thy salvation, and my heart exults 
 in the vast hopes which my faith affords me. 
 
 O God, I am here a pilgrim and a stranger. Great are 
 the temptations to sin which encompass me on every side : 
 and how often is my heart charmed and seduced by its own 
 evil desires ! How often do I allow myself to be carried 
 away by this corrupted heart, and reflect not on my vow and 
 my obligations ! Let the convictions of thy word, and the 
 support of thy Spirit come to the aid of my incredulity of 
 mind. In the blindness and feebleness of my understanding, 
 thy word must illuminate and instruct me ; and amid the 
 false ways that bewilder me, thy testimony must keep me in 
 the right path to everlasting life. Take not, therefore, I en- 
 treat thee, thy word from my mouth, nor the comfort of thy 
 gospel from my bosom. Instruct me in the way of thy com- 
 mandments, and guide me in thy truth. Teach me to act 
 according to thy pleasure, and let thy good Spirit lead me in 
 the plain road. This morning arise to my remembrance the 
 many wretched beings who long after thy word, and yet are 
 not refreshed by it. O Lord ! have mercy upon them, and 
 let thy light shine in their darkness ! Chastise not the de- 
 spisers of thy word as they deserve, nor recompense the 
 scoffers according to thy justice. Still work in them their 
 amendment. Perhaps they will come to reason ; perhaps 
 they will still acknowledge thee and thy Son Jesus in death's 
 last anguish. Be not terrible to them, have pity upon them, 
 O Father. Alas : they know riot what they do. But, hark : 
 they cry to thee, O God, out of the depths : give ear to 
 them ; redeem them, absolve them, most merciful Lord ! 
 
 Listen to me also, and to me show thy slowness to anger. 
 So many years as thou hast permitted the lustre of thy word 
 to beam upon me, still I have not yet become more pious, 
 more wise, or more upright. Ah, enter not into judgment 
 
50 MORNING COMMUNINGS 
 
 with me ! Yet this day grant me thy grace, yet this day 
 give me again respite for repentance. Let thy gracious Spirit 
 incline me to receive thy word, and endow me with power to 
 walk worthily of it. Especially in the last hour of my life, 
 let thy word be my comfort, that I may not depart in mi- 
 sery. Lord, let my supplications come before thee. Instruct 
 and save me according to thy Scriptures. Yes, I trust in 
 thy promises : Thou wilt not leave thy ignorant child with- 
 out instruction, or thy tottering child without support, or thy 
 afflicted child without comfort. 
 
 FEBRUARY 7. 
 
 God's Mercy and Protection displayed in the Hours of 
 Darkness. 
 
 AND shall I be indolent, shall I be slow to praise my God, 
 when all nature glorifies him ? No : awake, my soul, to laud 
 thy Creator and Benefactor ; be active and ready to perform 
 the duties which this new day demands from thee. Bethink 
 thee of the favour which God has vouchsafed to thee during 
 the past night. His omnipotence protected thee, and his 
 goodness watched over thy life, that no harm might approach 
 thee. I lay down yonder close to death, and the Lord put 
 death away from me. O God ! I shudder when I reflect 
 what would have become of me, if these my eyes had then 
 been closed for ever. Alas ! even now should I have been 
 in that most direful abode, where thou punishest to all eter- 
 nity the scorners of thy longsuffering patience. With a 
 deeply affected and most thankful heart, do I acknowledge 
 thy unspeakable forbearance, indulgent Father. No crea- 
 ture in the whole range of the universe has so much to thank 
 thee for as I ; and hence my gratitude ought not to be sur- 
 passed in ardour and sincerity. But where shall I find 
 words to praise thee for* the benefits of one single night ? 
 Innumerable are the proofs of thy goodness, O Lord, so that 
 I cannot even name them ; but I will extol them as long as 
 there is breath in me. 
 
 But how ineffectual will my purpose be, if thou lend me 
 not grace to fulfil it ! I foresee how greatly the distractions 
 

 WITH GOD. 61 
 
 of this day will prevent me from thinking of thee and ho- 
 nouring thee in all my doings. And perhaps, to my shame 
 must I confess it, my heart will even in the next hour be 
 lukewarm and insensible, and unmindful of thee! But 
 should I be thus so unhappy as to forget thee, do thou, I 
 implore thee, quicken my heart, and rouse my soul, that it 
 may start from its slumber. Grant that I may every mo- 
 ment reflect, that it is through thee that I exist, and let me 
 regard each day as a new gift of thy free grace. Place in 
 lively colours continually before my eyes those obligations by 
 which I am bound to glorify and serve thee with all my 
 heart. Let the immeasurable love which thou evincest to 
 me, excite me to adore thee in return, and out of affection 
 for thee to renounce ungodliness ; and let that inexpressible 
 compassion, in which, through Jesus, I participate, animate 
 me to live and die for him, my Redeemer. 
 
 O ! what joy, what blessedness will this day bestow upon 
 me, if I live throughout it in this manner ! How light will 
 be all the disappointments which thou mayest doom to me, 
 appear, if I hold fast the conviction that thou, O God, art my 
 Father, and my friend. How void of care shall I be able to 
 rest under all the calamities of this present life ! And what 
 felicity will await me in that better life which is to come ! 
 Far must it be from me to rob myself of this blessedness. 
 O God ! make it my chief solicitude to become well pleasing 
 to thee ! Convince me more and more, that, except thee and 
 thy grace, nothing can render me truly happy. And ac- 
 cording to this assurance grant also that I may act, valuing 
 little all the pleasures of the world, and only aspiring at 
 those above, where Christ is. Thou alone, in life and in 
 death, in joy and in pain, and in all things, shall be glorified 
 by me, now, henceforth, and for ever. 
 
 FEBRUARY 8. 
 
 % 
 
 God the best Friend. 
 
 AMONG the sweets of friendship and social love, which ren- 
 der the toil we undergo and the enmity we encounter in the 
 
62 MORNING COMMUNINGS 
 
 world supportable, certain disagreeable feelings constantly 
 mix, which remind us, that on this earth no pure and perfect 
 joy is to be found. Here, where the most sacred obligations 
 are violated by fickleness and infidelity ; here, where true 
 and disinterested affection is so rare ; here, where, with the 
 most sincere inclination, we want the means to render those 
 we esteem happy ; here, where death dissolves the most inti- 
 mate connexions, and severs the firmest ties ; here no com- 
 plete friendship is to be expected. But how consolatory is 
 it, under the inconstancy and insufficiency of all earthly 
 unions, to have a friend whose truth is unalterable, whose 
 sincerity is infallible, whose power is unlimited, and whose 
 love is of everlasting duration ! 
 
 O God, my Father, in thee I have such a friend, and with 
 this reflection will I console myself, when I see that my 
 worldly friends turn away from me. I flee to thee, and de- 
 sire nothing more earnestly than that thy love may sweeten 
 for me the world's want of affection. If thou only art my 
 friend, the unfaithfulness of my mortal friends will be to me 
 indeed very indifferent, and I shall find in thee more than 
 abundant compensation for their loss. Vouchsafe to me thy 
 love, on which, as thy creature, and one of the redeemed of 
 Christ, I dare to assert a claim ; and I solemnly promise 
 that I will in return love thee with my whole heart and my 
 whole soul. O ! what an inimitable pattern of philanthropy 
 dost thou in thyself present to me ! Grant me the power to 
 form myself according to it, and to keep perpetually in view 
 that love which thy Son, my Redeemer, exercised in his con- 
 duct on earth. Who ever like him preached, both through pre- 
 cept and example, that undefiled love which assimilates us to 
 thee, thou God of benevolence, and renders us deserving of 
 thy choicest blessings ? Did he not go about doing good ? 
 Were not the sufferings, the punishments to which he sub- 
 mitted, and all his undertakings, pure love and charity? 
 When did mankind ever possess such a friend as he was ? 
 
 All-loving Redeemer, inflame my cold heart, soften my 
 hardened soul. Let thy love instigate me to hold my 
 brethren as dear as thou didst ; to be as compassionate as 
 thou wast towards the unfortunate ; to suffer with composure 
 equal to thine the hatred of the world ; to be as active as 
 thou for the welfare of my fellow-creatures, and to love them 
 
WITH GOD. 63 
 
 as sincerely, as steadfastly, as generously, and as uprightly. 
 Then will this disposition cheer me under all the crosses and 
 vexations of the world, since of thy affection I shall be able 
 always to assure myself: then, as I may have comforted the. 
 distressed, wilt thou in my distress encourage me ; as I have 
 been the friend of thy redeemed in their sorrow, so then wilt 
 thou be my friend ; and then also wilt thou in thy mercy exalt 
 me to the most perfect felicity of friendship in heaven, as I 
 have striven through my weak services thither to conduct my 
 brethren. Thus wilt thou grant me to feel the full salvation 
 of love, and I, even I shall in thy love be blessed to eternity. 
 
 FEBRUARY 9. 
 
 The Christian expresses his sure Persuasion of the Ground' 
 work of his Hope and Faith. 
 
 I KNOW on what ground I build my happiness, and who he 
 is whom I worship, and in whom I put my trust. Did I 
 not bear about with me this persuasion in my heart, I must 
 loathe each returning morning, and lament that God had 
 placed me in the world. Such wretched uncertainty would 
 render my life hateful to me, my lot here below unsupport- 
 able, and death most frightful. Everything on earth would 
 appear to me dark and mysterious, and my own destination 
 would remain a secret to me. I should live without com- 
 prehending the object of my life ; I should die without 
 knowing wherefore I endured death. In brief, I should be, 
 among all creatures, the one most deserving of pity. But, 
 thanks be to thy revelation, O God, which has liberated me 
 from this torturing suspense, and has helped me to a tran- 
 quillizing conviction. Now I know my appointment, my 
 worth, and my end. 
 
 I know on what foundation I ought to erect my happiness, 
 that it may neither be shaken nor destroyed. I know the 
 God who has written his commandments in my heart, and 
 in whom I establish my confidence. I enjoy the present 
 without vexation, and await the future without dread ; for I 
 know who he is in whom I trust, and am sure that, alike 
 
64 MORNING COMMUNINGS 
 
 through joys and woes, he leads me to his heavenly mansion 
 In this assurance, I advance with comfort to meet my des- 
 tiny. How is it possible that that destiny can be evil, since 
 the God, in whose hands it rests, is so good, so wise, and so 
 powerful? How can anything happen to the prejudice of 
 my real happiness, since Jesus himself suffered and died to 
 make my felicity certain and complete ? How can I doubt 
 of the love of God, when his love towards me moved him to 
 deliver up for me his own Son unto death ? Now I know, 
 to my peace, that in God I am everlastingly blessed ; and to 
 confirm and strengthen myself in this idea, shall be hence- 
 forward my chief business and my daily effort. I will 
 always study how better to understand the highness and the 
 importance of my calling, how to penetrate always into the 
 knowledge of the love of Jesus, how to resign myself con- 
 tentedly to the guiding of the Lord, and always with aug- 
 mented faith regard my Saviour and my God. 
 
 Would that this very day might produce within me these 
 saving operations ! Never will I henceforth fail in opportu- 
 nities of strengthening myself in my belief, and in my hope. 
 To-day, as heretofore, the goodness of the Lord will magnify 
 itself even in me. O ! may each wise dispensation of my 
 God confirm me in love and affiance towards him, the Holy 
 One and the Good ! This is my morning supplication : 
 grant me, O God, a heart heedful of thy ways, and that I 
 may walk in the same with obedience and willingness. In 
 the firm conviction that I am of thy household, and have an 
 expectancy in the inheritance which is laid up in heaven let 
 me in all, even the most afflicting events, acknowledge thy 
 wisdom, and continue devoted to thee. With these senti- 
 ments let me die, and evince by my death how contented 
 and happy the Christian is, who stands in the faith of Jesus, 
 and under the assurance of the grace of God. 
 
 FEBRUARY 10. 
 
 All that Man possesses is the Gift of the Omnipotent. 
 
 UNIVERSAL Benefactor of mankind! never can I sufficiently 
 extol thee, when I consider the kindness which thy favour 
 
WITH GOD. 65 
 
 has shown to me. To discover the infinity of thy goodness, 
 I need neither look up to the heavens nor contemplate the 
 earth. I have only to turn my eyes upon myself, and I hehold 
 wonders without end, and benefits without number. All that 
 I am, and all that I possess, is thy gift : all the advantages 
 which exalt me so exceedingly above others of thy creatures, 
 and raise me to thy resemblance, hast thou granted to me. 
 All the days of my past existence are the boon of thy mercy ; 
 and this life, this morning accorded to me anew, this breath, 
 this soul that thinks of thee, this heart that loves thee, all, 
 all are the effects, gracious Father, of thy inexpressible be- 
 nevolence. I should deserve that thou shouldst withdraw 
 from me even the least of thy blessings, if I were not ready 
 to acknowledge their immensity. I should not deserve this 
 body, if I did not use it to thy glorification ; nor this soul, 
 if I did not sanctify it to thee ; nor this life, if I did not 
 devote it to thee. Neither can I help being filled with 
 astonishment, when I consider the patience with which thou 
 daily multipliest the proofs of thy bountifulness. Little as, 
 on account of my sins, my ingratitude, and my insensibility, 
 I deserve that thou shouldst deign to favour me with 
 thy grace, thou never ceasest to load me with fresh benefac- 
 tions. I heap up my iniquities, thou redoublest the evi- 
 dences of thy longsuffering forbearance ; I increase my 
 unthankfulness, and thou augmentest thy favours ; I work my 
 own misery, thou promotest my felicity; I forget thee, 
 and thou rememberest me; I flee from thee, and thou comest 
 nigh to me ! O Lord, who is there like to thee? Who is 
 there so gracious, so considerate, so patient, so indulgent as 
 thou art? 
 
 And shall I longer squander the riches of thy goodness? 
 Shall I commence this day with the same ingratitude with 
 which I closed the preceding ? No ; I have long enough 
 abused thy patience, and thy parental gifts. The present 
 day awakens me to new to better feelings, and to those 
 determinations which such high obligations demand from me. 
 Behold, O Lord, and God of my life, I dedicate to thee in 
 this hour of morn, all that thou hast bestowed upon me. 
 I devote myself with pure affection to thy wise and sacred 
 views. My body and my soul shall praise thee : my whole 
 
 F 
 
66 MORNING COMMUNINGS 
 
 existence shall proclaim thy grace. And may a holy incli- 
 nation inspire my heart to benefit my brethren also, to be 
 useful to them with that which thou hast granted to me, 
 and in all things to demean myself as a prudent and faithful 
 steward ! My heart and my hand must be shut to none of 
 the wretched who anticipate from me pity and assistance. 
 Be it my utmost joy, my pride, and my glory to imitate thee, 
 O All-beneficent; and to those whom thou hast allotted to 
 my care, to every unfortunate being whom thou bringest to 
 me, to become the instrument of thy goodness. Thus I 
 shall not have reason to be afraid when thou exactest the ac- 
 count of the employment of thy munificence. I shall be 
 blessed by my friends, prized by my enemies, and hereafter 
 eternally recompensed by thee. 
 
 FEBRUARY 11. 
 
 Watchfulness of the Heart. 
 
 How secure and careless is my weak heart amid the temp- 
 tations which on all sides besiege it round about ; amid the 
 enticements to sin which encircle it, and threaten its repose ! 
 And how often has this carelessness involved me in dangers 
 and errors, how often has it been the occasion of my downfal ! 
 Henceforward, however, T will watch and pray, that I sink 
 not again in the contest ; for truly my spirit is willing, but 
 how weak is my flesh i Yet, alas ! how often already have 
 I made this blessed resolution without carrying it into prac- 
 tice ! How often has all that I did been to form a fair pur- 
 pose, while I thought not how I should fulfil it ! How many 
 days have I solemnly consecrated to God at their dawning, 
 and yet, in the evening of them, seen that they had been 
 sacrificed to the world and to sin ! How many good incli- 
 nations, awakened within me at the appearance of the 
 morning sun, have remained powerless, and even vanished, 
 when I quitted my solitude ! And perhaps my resolutions 
 of to-day will be equally fleeting and impotent! Perhaps 
 even by the next hour the pious feelings which I now ex- 
 perience will be extinguished ! A^ain^ perhaps, I am about 
 
WITH GOD. G7 
 
 to rush headlong into the cares and pleasures of the world, 
 and forget the Lord to whom I have vowed myself! 
 
 Yes, so fickle is my heart, so easy to be misled ! and 
 therefore so needful is it for me always to watch, always to 
 combat my passions, and always, through prayer, to sanctify 
 and confirm every godly impulse of my mind. I must con- 
 tinually be on my guard, and most attentively take heed of 
 my heart, lest any desire steal into me unobserved that may 
 enervate all my precaution. And O ! how shall I, a weak 
 and helpless mortal, with all my circumspection be strong 
 enough to preserve myself in virtue? I am like a voyager 
 who sees himself exposed on the ocean to the danger of being 
 wrecked and sunk, if there come not to him instant aid. 
 And who, who can place me in security from so many tempests 
 of seduction, and pilot me into a safe haven, if thou dost it not ? 
 Thou, even thou, most merciful Father, must to this end 
 send me thy grace. Thou must defend my heart, and assist 
 me to vanquish all the lusts which are perpetually springing 
 up in it. O ! do thou thyself preserve me from that pride and 
 corruption of soul through which I have already been so often 
 rendered miserable. Again even now the distractions of this 
 life encompass me. Let my heart then be ever raised up 
 to thee in holy awe, that I may not be so far entangled in the 
 pleasures and concerns of the world as to neglect thee. How 
 many snares will be laid to-day for my virtue. But do thou 
 discover them to me, and permit me not to fall into them. 
 Never let the attractions of this earth have so much influence 
 over me as to allure me from the narrow way that leads to 
 heaven, but incline my heart to those better durable posses- 
 sions which thou hast laid up for me above. Let me in- 
 cessantly watch over my heart, and stand in constant readi- 
 ness, that when thou callest me out of the world, I may be 
 prepared to enter into that celestial dwelling where no one 
 shall have the power to rob me of my innocence and my 
 happiness. 
 
68 MORNING COMMUNINGS 
 
 FEBRUARY 12. 
 
 Self-Meditation, and the Knowledge of the Final Destina- 
 tion of the Soul. 
 
 LONG as I have lived in the world, I have never yet reflected 
 right earnestly on my destination, nor answered to myself 
 according to truth the important question: Wherefore has 
 God granted me life with its benefits, and a spirit with its 
 powers and faculties? But I will now no longer neglect 
 this consideration, I will devote this hour of the early day 
 maturely to contemplate my being, my vocation, and my ap- 
 pointment. 
 
 What can be more joyful to me under this retrospection 
 than the thought that I am a work and a miracle of divine 
 omnipotence. This frame, that displays so much art and 
 skill in its construction, with its fine, its nicely disposed mem- 
 bers, is one of the gifts of my Creator. It is his skill and 
 ordering that regulate the wonderful circulation of the blood 
 through my limbs, which preserves my existence, and shall 
 never cease till the Lord commands my heart to beat no 
 more, and this fluid to congeal in my veins, and my lungs 
 no longer to respire. But what is that by which I am able to 
 conceive all this, to know my Creator, to admire his wisdom, 
 to wonder at his omnipotence, and to revere his goodness ? 
 It is not this frail body that thinks and desires, that possesses 
 feelings and affections; no, this is only the dwelling of that 
 spirit within me which reasons which exalts me to the 
 Creator, which teaches me to distinguish good from evil, 
 and gives me the power to will and to perform what is 
 virtuous. 
 
 But do I indeed avail myself of this ability ? Do I stead- 
 fastly purpose that which is good? Do I really shun that 
 which is the contrary? Ah! to what shame do these in- 
 terrogations put me ! With how much grief am I forced to 
 confess, that my will is in nothing either so pious or so good as 
 it ought to be; that my desires are directed to iniquity; that 
 my propensities drag me into sin ! Unmindful of my Chris- 
 tian dignity, my appointment, and the account which I must 
 one day render to God, I yield myself up to my passions and to 
 
WITH GOD. 69* 
 
 foolishness; I let my heart dote on the perishable treasures 
 of the earth, and dissipate that valuable time which I ought 
 to lay out with wisdom. Can I even by the most sincere 
 and inward repentance repair the evil which I have com- 
 mitted ? Where then shall I find repose for my soul ? I 
 can find it only in the belief that I belong to Jesus : this 
 faith encourages me, and renders me tranquil. I am by the 
 force of this privilege a being of great and certain hope and 
 of endless felicity ; one redeemed through Christ, to a better 
 and eternal life in heaven, and here already a child and 
 favourite of the everlasting God. Of these high advantages 
 I will endeavour to become ever more and more deserving 
 through pious zeal for the honour of the Lord, for the good 
 of my fellow-creatures, and for the salvation of my immortal 
 soul ; through well doing without weariness, and through 
 humble submission to the will of the Almighty. Thus will 
 my memory go down to posterity loaded with blessings, and 
 I shall be applauded by my brethren as a benefactor of man- 
 kind. Thus also shall I be happy in eternity ; and when he 
 who has been here nothing, and yet fancied himself to be 
 everything, enters, stripped of all his boasted splendour, into 
 an eternity of misery, I shall be rendered manifest in glory 
 to the whole creation. 
 
 FEBRUARY 13. 
 
 Danger of Procrastination in the Path to Heaven, 
 
 IF I be on the way to heaven, and shall there reap what I 
 sow here, O ! how foolish, and how culpable is any procras- 
 tination of my most important earthly business, the amend- 
 ment of my heart ! Shall I, like so many of my fellow- 
 men, approach with carelessness and levity to the hour that 
 bears me to my everlasting Judge ? If so, O ! then like 
 them I shall be snatched away in the midst of my thought- 
 less security, and too late in the moment of death repent of 
 my negligence. And have I not indeed solely to thank the 
 patience of the Lord, that this has not already taken place ? 
 At last I perceive the danger into which I shall plunge my- 
 
70 MORNING COMMUNINGS 
 
 self, if I delay yet one single day, one hour to chasten my 
 heart, and collect treasures for heaven : now stands my de- 
 termination firm ; no longer will I yield to the sinful incli- 
 nations and propensities of my breast, no longer slight the 
 opportunities afforded me of doing good, and fulfilling the 
 views of God. For how can I, who am a frail mortal, 
 reckon on a long series of years ? and even, if I dared to 
 do so, how could I answer it to God, for having lost only 
 one short hour of the period of preparation for the celestial 
 realms which is here allowed to me ? How often, already, 
 has the Almighty called me to repentance, and I have not 
 listened to his voice, but hardened my heart against the 
 warnings of my conscience. No longer, however, am I rash 
 enough to act in so unjustifiable a manner : no longer will I 
 scorn the salvation which is offered to my soul. May not 
 death appear without a messenger to announce that he is at 
 hand, and carry me out of the world ere through any bodily 
 pains I have been induced to anticipate his arrival? Whence 
 then know I that God will let me still hear that voice which 
 I have so frequently contemned ? And how can I hope that 
 the Holy Ghost will again knock at the gates of my heart, 
 after I have so many times, without number, refused him 
 admittance? 
 
 In this hour of dawn will I listen to the voice of God. 
 Who knows whether in the evening of the passing day I 
 shall not hear that frightful sentence : " Mortal, thou must 
 die ! " I will already, therefore, regard myself as a dying 
 man, and what I would in that state do on my death-bed, I 
 will now perform in the season of health. Now will I hum- 
 ble myself before God, and lay hold of that righteousness 
 which must hereafter prove my comfort in death. Now will 
 I commend my spirit into the hands of the Lord. Now will 
 I combat my lusts, the contest with which in the agonies of 
 mortality would so embitter my last moments. And, O God, 
 thou who teachest me this wisdom, grant me also the power 
 to practise it. Instruct me how to employ my time, to the 
 utmost profit, and remind me continually of the high value 
 yet transitoriness of my life, to the end that I may live 
 according to thy pleasure. 
 
WITH GOD. 71 
 
 FEBRUARY 14. 
 
 Wisdom and Understanding, not Wealth and Superfluity, 
 the proper Objects of Prayer. 
 
 THAT frame of mind which prompts us to prefer the grace 
 of God to the wealth of the world, and the knowledge of 
 God to all earthly possessions, embraces those sentiments 
 which can alone elevate us to true dignity, and secure for us 
 the ecstasies of heaven. We are not born to amass riches, 
 to pile treasures upon treasures, and, through such vain 
 baubles, to purchase the applause of the multitude. That 
 Christianity which we profess, proffers to us wealth more 
 complete, and a far nobler exaltation ; to choose this is wis- 
 dom ; it is greatness ; it is felicity. And wherefore then 
 should I covet affluence ? A loan so transitory, so disquiet- 
 ing, so seductive, and so little in reality what it appears to 
 be, deserves not the regard of a Christian who is invited to 
 the attainment of an estate that is everlasting. I will not 
 pray for superfluity, and the treasures of the earth. Over- 
 abundance might too easily render me unhappy, and deprive 
 me of the peace and the innocence of my heart. Why 
 should I pray for objects which make life so full of care, 
 the breast so uneasy, afflictions so insufferable, and death so 
 bitter ? How easily might I forget God, if once in my 
 prosperity I should indulge agreeable prospects and smiling 
 hopes ! How easily also might that indifference and want 
 of compassion which accompany fortune, master my soul, 
 and my property become accursed to me through the sighs 
 of the desolate and the oppressed ! No ; I will not then 
 supplicate the Lord for affluence. I will follow the wisdom 
 of Solomon. My prayer shall be : " Lord, grant to me, thy 
 servant, an understanding heart ! " 
 
 If I obtain this heart, how rich, how great, how happy 
 shall I be ! Then shall I have no cause to envy those who 
 spend their days in plenty and in pleasure. The conscious- 
 ness of a wise and pious mind will indemnify me for all 
 things else : and while one man loses his accumulations by 
 fire, another by the subtlety of his neighbour, I shall be 
 secure enough from every disaster of this description. No 
 
72 MORNING COMMUNINGS 
 
 one can take away from me the riches of my soul. Yea, 
 even death, that makes a beggar of the most opulent, shall 
 increase my stores, and bestow upon me a splendour in com- 
 parison with which all mundane glory is mere poverty. O 
 God, thou fountain of all bliss, grant me this grace for 
 which I would gladly barter every gift besides. To thee, to 
 thee thyself, O God, be my best interest an object of care ; and 
 that which thy hand castest to me, however small, however 
 trivial it may seem, shall be for me sufficient, if thou only 
 accompany it with a tranquil and a placid bosom. 
 
 The world may still thirst after riches ! Fill thou my 
 soul with thy wisdom and with thy love, so shall I be wholly 
 indifferent at the spectacle of every species of wealth, so 
 shall even penury, if thou appoint it to me, be acceptable 
 and light to endure. Make it my daily endeavour only tc 
 strive after those acquisitions which my Redeemer has ob- 
 tained for me, and which are reserved for me in heaven. 
 
 FEBRUARY 15. 
 
 The Sleep of the Body compared to the Torpor of the Soul, 
 with an Invocation to the Spirit to awake from Slumber. 
 
 WITHOUT sense, without animation, without heed either of 
 myself, or of the dangers that might approach me, lay my 
 body in the past night abandoned to sleep. O 1 how melan- 
 choly an image is this state of that inertness to which my 
 soul is reduced ! I am insensible to so many of the benefits 
 of my God, and void of feeling under so many of his 
 fatherly corrections ! My love towards that which is good 
 is dead ; and, careless of the dangers and obstacles that op- 
 pose my virtue, how often do I fall headlong into tempta- 
 tion ! Like a slumberer and a dreamer I proceed onwards, 
 thoughtless of what awaits me, and unsolicitous about the 
 welfare of my deathless spirit. In this manner have I 
 already passed so many days dosed away so many years ! 
 Then is it time that I should awake from my lethargy,, arid 
 consider the call which this morning makes to me. 
 
 Now is it the hour to rise up from reoose : all nature once 
 

 WITH GOD. 73 
 
 more revives ; all is in activity, everything feels itself gifted 
 with new energy and new life. My soul, arouse thyself 
 also, and relapse not again into drowsiness. Is it Christian- 
 like to have wasted life's best years in idle visions? Be at 
 last watchful and alert to exercise the duties which thy God 
 demands from thee. How often, already, in the first hours 
 of the new-born day, has the Lord cried out to thee : " Awake, 
 thou that sleepest, and arise from the dead !" This morning 
 hear thou his voice, and be attentive to the words which in- 
 vite thee to existence. Behold, with what perils thou art 
 surrounded, and those into which thy indolence and thy su- 
 pineness may speedily plunge thee. Every day challenges 
 thee to a fresh combat. Up ! up ! and fight, that thou 
 mayest not lose thy crown. Alas ! how will thy listless 
 years then torture thee, if thou become for the first time 
 awake, when the torpor of death darkens the balls of sight ! 
 Think of this and tremble ! But how can I awake, if thou, 
 O God, openest not my eyes ? As it is thou that must give 
 my body the power to shake oft' its heaviness, so must I re- 
 ceive likewise from thee the strength to awake out of that 
 oblivion into which my sins have lulled me. Have mercy 
 upon me: for, ah ! I am still dull, still slothful, still inactive in 
 goodness. Invigorate my heart, inspire my soul, that I may 
 wisely employ the immediate hours which thou grantest to 
 me. Make me to consider my own wretchedness, and thy 
 compassion, to be zealous in the exercise of virtue, and care- 
 ful to avail myself of all the opportunities which thou for 
 my salvation vouchsafest to me. To-day also wilt thou be 
 busy with my heart. Thy word, thy benefits, thy chastise- 
 ments, thy patience, thy forbearance, will this day, as here- 
 tofore, guide me to repentance, and earnestly do I purpose 
 to oppose not with contumacy thy invitations, to frustrate 
 not thy mercy. Yet, should I be so unfortunate as to sink 
 again into slumber ; let thy strong arm grasp me, that I fall 
 not asleep in eternal death, but find life through Jesus, my 
 Redeemer. 
 
74 MORNING COMMUNINGS 
 
 FEBRUARY 16. 
 
 The Dedication of the Heart to Christ. 
 
 WHAT intention can be more meritorious, or more requi- 
 site, than that determination which I am now forming in 
 this hour of approaching day to be wholly and solely 
 devoted to Christ? It is equally my obligation and my 
 happiness to live and to die to Jesus, my Redeemer. O ! 
 how strongly has he, both through his life and through his 
 death, bound me in duty to thankfulness and adoration ! 
 What greater effort could he make to render my heart eft- 
 tirely his own, than that which he evinced in the works 
 which for my sake he performed ? Could he to effect my 
 everlasting felicity have undergone more cruel sufferings, or 
 endured a more ignominious and more painful death? Could 
 he give me any higher proof of his affection than he has 
 manifested to me in this, that for my special welfare he ex- 
 changed glory for contempt, perfect happiness for misery, 
 the riches of heaven for the indigence of an earthly exist- 
 ence, and life itself for death ? How hard, how inhuman, 
 how barbarous, must that breast be, which feels not the ar- 
 dour of mutual regard in return for such instances of the 
 most tender fidelity ! No ; loving Jesus, too immense are 
 thy blessings, too precious thy gifts, that I should shut my 
 heart against thy commandment and thy call ; and thus un- 
 gratefully contemn the aid which thou offerest to me in order 
 that I may become holy and blessed. Would it be possible 
 that my soul should have joy in this life, if it were not 
 governed by thy Spirit, and through faith in thee confirmed 
 and comforted ? No ; I can be happy only inasmuch as I 
 belong to thee, as I continue thy true disciple, and follow thy 
 footsteps. For the misfortune and the curse of sin reach 
 not thy votaries ; they are not the slaves of the passions ; 
 they shrink not, when they are doomed to suffer ; they 
 shudder not, when danger threatens ; they are not frightened 
 when death summons them. Should I in aught incline my- 
 self to live for sin, remind me, I beseech thee, of the sorrows 
 which my sins occasioned thee, and these shall instigate mo 
 to flee from iniquity. Should I ever murmur to accept the 
 
WITH GOD. 75 
 
 little share of troubles which thou apportionest to me, O 1 
 do thou then represent in vivid traits to my heart, those tor- 
 ments, that self-denial, that cross, that death to which thou 
 didst submit in my behalf. May thy love replenish my 
 whole mind, rule my whole life, and be at length my com- 
 fort in death ! 
 
 For what death could indeed be more blessed, than that I 
 should die to thee ? In thy fellowship, and in thy love I 
 feel an inexpressible consolation, which infinitely exceeds all 
 the bitterness of vital extinction. Now then be it my ever- 
 lasting resolution to remain thine even in the time of the 
 separation of the flesh and spirit. I will tear myself loose 
 from the vanities that might by any means fetter my imagi- 
 nation ; I will banish all love of the terrestrial, and thou 
 alone, crucified Jesus, shall be the object of my vows and 
 the delight of my heart. Then also, when my thoughts are 
 vanishing, like a light to which nourishment is wanting, they 
 shall be employed upon thee. And if I go out of this world 
 with the trust that my departure is in thee, so shall I be able 
 to enter into yon other world, with the blessed hope that in 
 thy company I shall live for ever. O ! what a contempla- 
 tion is this to live eternally for thee. Here, O Lord, I can- 
 not fully conceive it ; but above, I shall comprehend and 
 experience, in all its extent, how happy the soul is that lives 
 for thee. 
 
 FEBRUARY 17. 
 
 The Immensity of Jesus' Love to Man. 
 
 REGARD, O my soul, with attentiveness and with astonish- 
 ment, the love of thy Redeemer waft thyself to Bethlehem ! 
 Behold him, the resplendence of the glory of God, in lowly 
 guise, in misery, and want. Accompany him through the 
 course of his amiable life observe the beneficent love with 
 which he healed the sick, comforted the wretched, and par- 
 doned the sinful ? See him, while testifying the strongest 
 evidences of'charity towards man, by men themselves perse- 
 cuted, reviled, affronted, and, in despite of the unsullied inno- 
 
76 MORNING COMMUNING8 
 
 cence of his heart, infamously treated and tormented ! View 
 the conflict which in Gethsemane he so heroically supported ; 
 mark the tears which he shed ; count the groans which he 
 uttered ; hear that humble prayer which he rendered up to 
 his Father ; and admire the obedience with which he yielded 
 himself to his fate, and to the will of his heavenly Parent ! 
 
 Mount up to Golgotha with the holy sufferer the scene 
 where Omnipotence displayed its utmost greatness, and Di- 
 vine Love its most wondrous power. Look upon that Jesus, 
 the image of the Father ; see how he was hung stripped on 
 the tree, consorted with two murderous malefactors, pierced 
 through with nails, and encompassed with executioners ! But 
 contemplate him as under so many agonies he kept himself 
 firm through love; while the same love which prompted him 
 to submit to these pains, also strengthened him to endure 
 them with patience ! Gaze upon him, arrived at the high- 
 est step of mortal sufferings, and listen to his noble-minded 
 affectionate supplication for those who with obdurate hearts 
 scoffed at his sorrows ! 
 
 At such a spectacle, surely, my soul cannot remain un- 
 moved. In recompense for such love, resolution to love 
 Jesus in return cannot be hard. This is all, O my soul, 
 that thy injured Benefactor requires from thee. And what 
 love can be sufficiently strong, sufficiently ardent to repay, 
 even in a small degree, that which he has done for thee? 
 Yet he seeks from thee only a sincere affection, even though 
 it should be weak. And wouldst thou not sacrifice to him 
 all thy hopes, all thy inclinations, and all thy wishes? To 
 love him more perfectly, to trust in him more confidently, to 
 be devoted to him more earnestly, be this the most eager de- 
 sire which thou daily endeavourest to accomplish. Make 
 manifest even to-day the effects which thy love towards Jesus 
 produces in thee. Reflect upon that love with which Jesus 
 loved thee. Ask thyself, if the particular line of conduct 
 which thou shalt at any time pursue if the sin which thou 
 shalt at any time commit, be consistent with the love w r hich 
 thou owest to Jesus. Never forget, that all the blessings 
 which thou shalt this day receive, are the consequences of 
 that day on which Jesus fulfilled his offering for thee. 
 Then wilt thou cease not, in obedience and piety, to thank 
 him for his love throughout all eternity. 
 
W.TH GOD, 77 
 
 FEBRUARY 18. 
 
 Gethsemane. 
 
 OH ! eternal Son of God, how terrible was the night which 
 thou in sleeplessness wast constrained to pass at Gethse- 
 mane ! How unspeakable were thy sufferings, when thou 
 wast compelled to bear the entire load of the sins of the hu- 
 man race, and feel that anguish which the sinner experiences 
 as he stands before the tribunal of the Most High ! That 
 night imparted blessings to all my nights and days. Whilst 
 I recollect the repose which was granted to me during the 
 past hours of darkness, I call at the same time to my re- 
 membrance, that disquietude, that anxiety, and that struggle 
 through which thy last night in this world was rendered so 
 blessed and memorable. Wretch that I am, what would 
 be my fate, if thou hadst not endured to the end under these 
 so inexpressible sufferings ? What would my condition be, 
 if I were compelled to taste that cup which thou wast forced 
 to drink ? If that displeasure of the eternal God which thou 
 hast felt, should so press on me ; if I were called to sur- 
 mount that contest with hell and death which thou so glori- 
 ously sustainedst ? Ah ! I shudder at the thought, and con- 
 fess the high value of thy love towards me that prompted thee 
 for my salvation to become subject to such direful miseries. 
 Loving Redeemer ! I worship thee in deep humility, and 
 though I am little able to express or worthily magnify thy 
 love, yet am I ready, according to my power, to do thee 
 homage, with sacred reverence. Never will I contemplate 
 these frightful agonies, without abhorring sin, which brought 
 upon thee all this anguish. It is I, whom that anger which 
 oppressed thee to the ground should strike ! It is I 
 who ought thus to shake and tremble ! I ought to 
 feel, in all its poignancy, that grief which, even to thyself, 
 was hardly sufferable! My sins, my sins have lain on thee ! 
 It is my pride that thy prostration at thy Father's feet has 
 atoned ! It is my restless quaking conscience that thou hast 
 allayed through thy expiring pangs ! My life's last extre- 
 mity hast thou, through the experience of this deadly tribu- 
 lation, sweetened ! 
 
78 MORNING COMMUNINGS 
 
 O ! that I might often that I might always think of this : 
 how much trouble it has cost thee to set me free from that 
 wretchedness, into which, through iniquity, I had fallen ! 
 Jesus, do thou thyself imprint deeply on my mind what 
 great things thou hast achieved for me. Picture thyself to 
 me under that appearance in which on the Mount of Olives, 
 thou trembledst and wast dismayed, so often as my heart, 
 with reckless joy, would triumph in its crimes. Let thy an- 
 guish affright me, whenever I proceed unmoved in the paths 
 of transgression, and my conscience cradles me asleep in pe- 
 rilous security. Let me be struck with horror to the soul, at 
 the scourges which thou hast borne, whenever I promise 
 myself rest and happiness in my misdeeds. Then will the 
 remembrance of thy ransoming woes indeed fortify me. In 
 thy anguish shall I find my ease ; in thy chastisement, my 
 absolution ; in thy prayer, my acceptable hearing ; and in 
 thy death-struggle my liberation. Even in that inevitable 
 hour when I too, like thee, must fight with sin and sin's ty- 
 rannic offspring there shall I through the battle be power- 
 fully upheld, and through thy victory beyond measure rein- 
 forced. 
 
 FEBRUARY 19 
 
 Jesus praying for his Enemies ought to inspire us with 
 mutual Kindness and Forgiveness. 
 
 How can I, with so sublime an example of the most noble- 
 minded philanthropy and charity, be implacable and void of 
 affection ? Jesus prayed for his foes, he prayed for them 
 while they were studying how to torment him in the most 
 sensible manner. There, where they poured out every curse 
 upon him, he blessed them ; there, where vengeance inspired 
 their whole heart, his soul became susceptible of the utmost 
 compassion ; there, where they were busied with devilish 
 zeal to make him miserable, he hastened to implore for them 
 the greatest happiness ! I acknowledge the vastness of this 
 magnanimity, I perceive the high stamp of this pitying love. 
 J3ut it is not enough that I behold it, and wonder. No ! I 
 
WITH GOD. 79 
 
 will strive to render myself, even in this respect, like to my 
 Jesus. 
 
 How easy ought this duty to become to me, when I com- 
 pare the Infinite Majesty of Christ with my own vileness. 
 He was the only-begotten Son of God. the perfectly guilt-- 
 less, the most holy one of all ; the wrongs which were heaped 
 upon him were the sharpest and most dreadful with which 
 any man was ever afflicted ; yet his enemies were blessed by 
 him, and by him redeemed ! And how willingly did he 
 also forgive these workers of iniquity their injustice ! But 
 I, on the contrary, would search for a pretext to excuse my 
 harshness? I, who am of dust and ashes, I would do this ! 
 I, for the grievances that are put upon me, would meditate 
 revenge ! How dissimilar must I then be to thee, O Jesus, 
 who in thy forbearance towards thy enemies hast exhibited 
 the most amiable pattern of gentleness ! 
 
 Let now then thy example, thou Son of God, make an 
 impression on my soul never to be obliterated. Let the first 
 thought that arises within me at the view of the unfriendly, 
 the ungrateful, the faithless, be, that thou, O Saviour, inter- 
 ceding for thy murderers, didst exclaim : " Father, forgive 
 them, they know not what they do!" Let thy wonderful, 
 thy indescribable sympathy endow my mind with that mild 
 impulse which shall excite me to the heroic love of them who 
 hate me, and to the supplication of blessings upon them that 
 curse me. Triumph, triumph over my heart through the 
 efficacy of thy love, and vanquish those uncharitable, re- 
 vengeful emotions, which so often spring up in my bosom. 
 Without thy support all my intentions will be powerless, and 
 the first approach of my adversary will destroy them. But 
 if thou shouldst impart to me that strength which through 
 thy mediation thou hast obtained for me, I shall be able to 
 exercise this duty, though it oft appears so hard and impracti- 
 cable to my corrupted heart. 
 
 Now am I going into the society of my fellow-creatures. 
 These sentiments shall everywhere accompany me, and on 
 all occasions will I think as nobly, and with as Christian a 
 temper as I have here done in privacy. But may thy love 
 bear likewise with me, and thy atonement blot out my trans- 
 gressions. O ! how needful for me is thy intercession ! Pray 
 for me, even though I should be so unfortunate as to let my 
 
80 MORNING COMMUNINGS 
 
 eyes lose sight of thee. Pray for me, my Redeemer, and 
 let me find pardon for those errors which I shall this day 
 commit. Pray for me in thy mercy, that I fall not into perdi- 
 tion, but be rescued and beatified for ever. 
 
 FEBRUARY 20. 
 
 Christ's Sufferings. 
 
 How graciously, O Jesus, hast thou in thy sufferings pro- 
 vided for my necessities ! How fully hast thou supplied my 
 insufficiency, healed my transgressions, ransomed my sins, 
 and annulled my curse ! 
 
 Manifold as were thy sufferings, are the blessings resulting 
 from them. Every circumstance of the last events of thy life 
 is for me rich with instruction and full of comfort. May then 
 my soul be quickened by the contemplation of thy woes, and 
 thence extract that consolation which even in them thou 
 hast prepared for me ! I see thee hang panting on the cross, 
 deprived of all support : thou thirstest, and that refreshment 
 which might invigorate thee, under the pressure of thy ago- 
 nies, is denied to thee ! Sad as this spectacle appears to me, 
 yet I discover in it an equal source of self-congratulation. 
 Thy desire for bodily sustainment is a type of that affection- 
 ate longing of thy soul to gain peace and salvation for man- 
 kind, which rendered thee so prompt to offer up thy life for 
 sinners ! Here I behold a fountain which invites me to 
 draw eternal health and tranquillity. And why should I be 
 slow to avail myself of this good fortune? No, my Jesus, 
 I hasten to meet thy wishes. Truly I thirst not after thee 
 so fondly as thou longest after me ; but still, so certainly as 
 thou art indeed my Saviour, would I be thy redeemed, thy 
 worshipper, thy child. 
 
 Thou didst endure hell in thy heart, and feel the terror of 
 the sentence which condemned me to the most horrid misery. 
 Ah I how little cause have I to fear hell, since through thee 
 I have the hope of heaven ! Who shall condemn me, since 
 I am acquitted by thee ? What can cast dread upon me, 
 since thou hast appointed peace for me ? How can I doiibt 
 
WITH GUD. 81 
 
 the grace of God, since thou wast left abandoned of all help, 
 to obtain for me thy Father's love ? And how can I be 
 afraid of death, since in thy death I find the bond of my 
 blessed immortality ? 
 
 Make these holy thoughts evermore lively in my soul, and 
 vouchsafe, O Christ, that through the same, I may be ever 
 gratefully arid undeviatingly devoted to thy service. As 
 thou thirstest to procure salvation for me and for the world, 
 so let me bend my desires to the welfare of my brother mor- 
 tals; let thy sufferings and thy submission restrain me 
 from striving after earthly and perishable possessions. Give 
 me also a mind noble enough and willing to sacrifice myself 
 to the good of my fellow-Christians, and in all respects to 
 keep their real advantage in view. Further, grant me, 
 through thy Spirit, to understand how culpable and how 
 scandalous a thing it is to transgress thy law. Let this 
 heart, now so tranquil and so insensible in its sins, be 
 wrung to the innermost core; let it be shaken with dis- 
 may at the contemplation of that anguish, which on my 
 account thou hast experienced. And should it then be 
 wounded by sincere remorse or by godly affliction, heal it 
 again through the promises of thy Scriptures. Send me 
 faith in thy word and maintain me in the same, that, being 
 dead to sin, I may live for thee, and serve thee through all 
 eternity. 
 
 FEBRUARY 21. 
 
 The Obligation laid upon us, by the Death of the Saviour, 
 to forsake Sin. 
 
 MUST I not be the most ungrateful of all men, were I to 
 enter anew into the service of sin, seeing that for sin Jesus 
 died ? Should I thus scorn the grace of my God, deny the 
 Lord, dishonour my Saviour, I should heap upon myself a 
 fresh and heavy load of the Almighty's vengeance. Far, for 
 ever, far be from me such unthankfulness, such hideous 
 enormity of vice. 1 will not harden my heart against the 
 tender invitation of my Jesus. I will open my soul to the 
 
 Q 
 
82 MORNING COMMUNINGS 
 
 sweet emotions of gratitude and mutual love. I will work' 
 out for myself, through constant exercise and pious medita- 
 tion, that faith which rendered my Redeemer so comforted 
 and so steadfast even to the end, and strive, through the te- 
 nor of my life, to follow that example which he has left to 
 me. How greatly should I dishonour my Saviour, and how 
 largely should I rob myself of the sacred fruits of his sor- 
 rows, were I not to endeavour to become like to him ! He 
 has bequeathed to me, in his last sufferings, the grand- 
 est example of all the virtues ; and to frame myself ac- 
 cording to it is as much my duty as it is my comfort and 
 my joy that, through these pangs he has accomplished my 
 atonement. 
 
 From this imitation of the example of my Saviour, will I 
 allow myself to be withheld by no ingratitude of the world, 
 by no contempt, and by no scorn. Like him, I will oppose 
 to the persecutor mildness, to the scoffer silence, to the un- 
 just patience, to the slanderer innocence ; and cry out in 
 prayer, " Father, forgive them, they know not what th y 
 do ! " Like him, I will yield with still resignation to all the 
 decrees of my celestial parent, and strive to render myself 
 edifying to my brethren. As he did, so will I, for the sake 
 of the common weal, voluntarily undergo hardship and cala- 
 mity, and consecrate my repose, my health, my happiness, 
 my life itself, as a help-offering to my fellow-creatures, pro- 
 vided I can thus rescue their souls, ward off their perdition, 
 effect their salvation. And should the Divine Author of my 
 existence deem painful trials necessary to my preparation for 
 eternal life, then will I deny myself, take up my cross, and 
 follow my Redeemer as well as I shall be able. Should I, 
 like him, be placed in circumstances where I must pour 
 forth prayers and supplications with tears, so also like him 
 will I hold God in reverence, and confidently trust that he 
 will hear me, and by his aid bring me out of my difficulties 
 to his own kingdom. Should I, notwithstanding my best 
 efforts, and most upright intentions, experience the calumny 
 and the rancour of enemies, I will not let myself be thereby 
 hindered from doing good. Should my dearest friends 
 abandon me in the time of need, I will regard their perfidy 
 with composure, and so much the more embolden myself 
 through trust in the living God. Should iny soul even be 
 
WITH GOD. 
 
 distracted by doubt and despondency, and no ray of joy of 
 comfort beam upon me, tben will I, in this my utmost de- 
 spair, think of that exclamation of my propitiator, " My 
 God! my God! why hast thou forsaken me?" Nor will 
 I cast from me the conviction that the Lord will in due sea- 
 son have compassion upon me, and strongly uphold me with 
 his love, that I may not ultimately fail under my trials. And 
 when at length the hour of my decease shall arrive, I will 
 deliver my spirit, ransomed by himself, into his keeping, and 
 through faith in him, vanquish the latest enemy. Well will 
 it be for me, if the redemption of my Saviour thus redound 
 to my consolation in those grievous moments ! Then, in all 
 the changes and chances of my life, will I nourish a soothing 
 hope within my breast, and in death itself find life and encou- 
 ragement. Jesus, thou who diedst for me, graciously bestow 
 upon me this fruit of thy sufferings. Make me ever more and 
 more like to thee, and let me be as willing to follow thee in the 
 thorny way, as when thou leadest me through pleasant paths. 
 Conducted by thee, I shall walk securely, and no deceitful 
 road will allure me astray from my salvation. Guide me, 
 my Saviour, according to thy counsel, and finally accept of 
 me with honour, 
 
 FEBRUARY 22. 
 
 Man bound in Duty, through the Demeanor of Christ, to the 
 Exercise of Brotherly Affection. 
 
 MOST incumbent upon me, as one of the redeemed, as a fol- 
 lower and as a disciple of Jesus, is the active exercise of 
 sincere fraternal affection towards my brethren. How nobly, 
 how profusely has the Lord spread his pity over me! Shall 
 not I then have compassion for my fellow-servants? For 
 me he gave his body, for me he lavished his blood ! How 
 may I repay to thee, O Christ, thy faithfulness, which thou 
 hast manifested towards me? Repay thee! Alas, poor de- 
 pendant that I am on thy bounty, this I cannot do. But if, 
 out of love to thee, I feed thy hungry brethren, give drink 
 to the thirsty, raiment to the naked, and aid to the oppressed, 
 
84 MORNING COMMUNINGS 
 
 thou wilt so consider these things as though they had hap- 
 pened to thyself. And this proof of my gratitude will I 
 with a ready heart accord to thee. 
 
 Thou hast achieved the atonement of my sins; not, 
 however, of mine only, but of those of all men. Must not then 
 all be as dearly and as highly esteemed in thy sight as I am? 
 And can I hate or despise any of those whom thou boldest 
 in such regard, whom thou so dearly valuest, whom thou 
 hast purchased at such a price? Shall I be ashamed to 
 salute those as brethren to whom thou vouchsafest that 
 name? Far be this wickedness from any of thy worshippers ! 
 How could I belong to Christ if I wanted the tokens by 
 which his disciples are distinguished, if I kept not thy pat- 
 tern, O Jesus, continually before my eyes ? Yes, I too will 
 be minded even as thou wast. I will endeavour that thy 
 love may be so powerful within me, that, if God's pleasure 
 should exact from me such a sacrifice, I also would imme- 
 diately resign my life for my fellow-creatures. 
 
 But I entreat thee, O God of everlasting love ! that thou 
 thyself wouldst establish this lofty strain of sentiment in my 
 mind. Without thy grace I shall always remain as void of 
 charity, as thankless, as fickle as I have hitherto been. But, 
 if thy influence take possession of my heart, and thy Spirit 
 rule me, I shall be always, benignant Saviour, as thou wast, 
 full of charity and kindness, and to-day, and at all times, do 
 honour to thee and to the knowledge of thy name. Mould 
 me into so beneficent a philanthropist, that I, like thee, may 
 set right those that are gone astray, raise up the fallen, con- 
 sole the wretched, and bring the sinner into thy fellowship. 
 O, how many opportunites will this day afford me of show- 
 ing myself to be really that which I profess to be, a Chris- 
 tian ! Many that are weak, it will be in my power to 
 sustain; to many that are in error, I shall be able to point 
 out the true way ; many that are tottering, I shall possess 
 the means to encourage ; and many that are in trouble, it 
 will be within my ability to comfort and gladden. Many I 
 shall be able, if I cannot otherwise assist them, to serve by 
 my prayers. O ! make this duty the grand business of my 
 life. Let me this day often stretch forth my hands to thee, 
 and earnestly charge thee with the concerns of thy redeemed. 
 Then, O Jesus ! if I walk thus uprightly before thee, look 
 
WITH GOD. 85 
 
 down upon me with favour, and let me become worthy of 
 that bliss, which thou hast procured for me, and in which 
 thou hast promised that I shall participate. And then, also, 
 if I commend to thee my own condition, do thou hear me 
 from thy heaven, and vouchsafe to me that salvation after 
 which my soul panteth. To thy glorious name be honour 
 and adoration ascribed now and for ever. 
 
 FEBRUARY 23 
 
 The Sinner seeking Refuge in the Sanctuary of the Cross. 
 
 WHERE should I find rest and consolation under the con- 
 viction of my sinfulness,and the accusations of my conscience, 
 were it not with thee, thou Saviour of sinners ? However 
 sincere and ardent my repentance may be, it cannot undo the 
 evil which I have done, restore to me the time that I have 
 consumed in vicious pursuits, or render back to me that in- 
 ward testimony of innocence, and purity of heart, which I 
 have lost. Against thee, O God, have I offended, and of thy 
 benignity have I shown myself unworthy ; and thy chastise- 
 ments, thou Sanctifier and Judge, have I merited ! With 
 what then shall I comfort myself? Only with thy expiation, 
 my Intercessor and my Saviour ; only with thy death, thou 
 crucified Jesus, who for me hast struggled and expired. 
 I call to mind thy assurance, that thou wast sent to make 
 sinners blessed, and I feel composed. O ! what is all the com- 
 fort and all the hope that the world can give me, in compari- 
 son with the comfort of thy grace, and the soothing expec- 
 tation of finding favour with God ? Yes, the cross of the 
 Reconciler is the foundation of all my happiness, the basis of 
 iny anticipations of glory, the guarantee of my everlasting 
 exaltation. How is it possible that to me this cross should 
 be as a stumblingblock and foolishness ; how could T unite 
 in the judgment and the scoffs of those light-minded impious 
 men who debase him that was crucified, and, in the blindness 
 of their heart, fancy that they need no Redeemer ? No, to 
 me the cross shall ever be an emblem of divine knowledge, 
 because it presents to my eyes God's wise counsel for the 
 
86 MORNING COMMUMNGS 
 
 redemption of a fallen race; because it excites me to %ht 
 boldly and cheerfully against sin and wickedness, in the 
 b'dme manner as my Jesus himself fought ; because it re- 
 minds me how dearly I was purchased ; because it impels 
 me to praise God in holiness and submission, to love God as 
 he has loved me, and to reverence him in spirit and in truth ; 
 because it elevates me to the rapturous hope, that I shall 
 one day be there, where my Saviour now is, he who sitteth 
 at the right hand of the Almighty, his heavenly Father ! 
 
 FEBRUARY 24. 
 
 The Christian reflects that for him the Saviour died. 
 
 WHILST my soul maturely contemplates what Jesus has 
 done and suffered for the human race, and even for me, I 
 feel myself penetrated with the most heartfelt thankfulness. 
 What should I indeed be, if Christ had not died for me? 
 I should, it is true, be a conspicuous creature of God's crea- 
 tion; yet with all my superiority, I should still be ex- 
 tremely wretched and unfortunate, and destitute of every con- 
 solatory hope. What would a life avail me, which, after a 
 few days, should finish in this world, and immerse me, in 
 another, in endless misery ! What would happiness on this 
 side of the tomb profit me, if beyond the grave I beheld in 
 perspective the most terrible calamities awaiting me ? And 
 what at last would become of me in death, were I compelled 
 to sink into the arms of the destroyer, and yet possess 
 not the assurance that he would bear me to a second and a 
 better existence ? 
 
 O God ! I cannot reflect on these things without mag- 
 nifying thy goodness, through which I have received privi- 
 leges the most eminent, and expectations the most glorious! 
 I can awake no single morning, without remembering, with 
 the tenderest emotion, the atonement of thy Son, Jesus 
 Christ, through whom all the hours of my life have been 
 thus blessed. Now, every revolving day brings me nearer 
 to the joys of eternity. Now may I each morning reassure 
 myself of the grace of God. Now I dare to put away the 
 
WITH GOD. 87 
 
 fear, that the Lord will utterly deliver me over to the ven- 
 geance of his justice for the sins which I shall this day com- 
 mit. The blood that has flown for me will turn aside the 
 righteous chastisements of my insulted Maker : it will cleanse 
 my iniquities, and diffuse the choicest blessings through 
 my earthly course. I shall be able to feel consoled and calm 
 amid all the adversities and trials of this mortal state, and 
 hold myself secure of God's forbearing patience. For who 
 shall condemn me? IT is CHRIST WHO HATH DIED FOR ME ! 
 O heart-cheering sound ! For me, even for me did he die ! 
 I also have a portion in all the blessedness which, through 
 his expiation, he has obtained for the world. For me did he 
 bear that immeasurable burden of woes, that curse, that 
 judgment of his Father ! Soul, renew thou often this sub- 
 lime, this all-consoling idea: for thee also has Jesus died! 
 Recall it, if at any time thou be ready to abandon thyself to 
 evil. What ! wilt thou again stain thyself with vice, when 
 the blood of Jesus has already washed away thy impurities ? 
 Recall it, when the world shall be nigh at any time to seduce 
 thee. What! wilt thou relinquish thyself to voluptuous 
 gratifications, when Jesus for thy sake deprived himself of 
 every pleasure ? Comfort thyself with this idea, when thou 
 shalt be cast down on the appearance of tribulation. How ! 
 wilt thou despond under such light troubles, when thy Jesus 
 has endured so incalculably much for thee? Think, w r hen 
 death affrights thee, that Christ died for thee. How! 
 wouldst thou be afraid of death, when thy Saviour has van- 
 quished death? Think of this great truth, if thou shalt ever 
 become cold and insensible towards God. Thus, O soul, 
 mayest thou be wholly transported by the contemplation of 
 the suffering Jesus into the most grateful and rapturous 
 feelings. Thus may thy darling thought, thy desire, and the 
 object of thy love be Jesus, the Crucified. 
 
 FEBRUARY 25. 
 
 The Cross the Teacher of the Soul. 
 
 To refer in everything thy feelings and thy sentiments to 
 the cross of Jesus, is that habit of thought, which thou must 
 
88 MORNING COMMUNLNGS 
 
 assume, O my soul, if thou wouldst receive a portion in the 
 blessings of the crucifixion of thy Mediator. By this prin- 
 ciple must thou be influenced, if thou wouldst seek to please 
 the Lord that has ransomed thee. Love towards him must 
 entirely engross thee, it must enrapture thee, it must bear 
 thee away in its impetuosity, and preponderate over all that 
 thou esteemest most precious. 
 
 Thou owest affection to thy friends : but where is there 
 a friend who has loved thee more than Jesus ? No one has 
 greater love than this, that he lose his life for his brethren ; 
 and Christ has died for thee. Then does he deserve that 
 thou shouldst proffer to him thy whole love, and sacrifice to 
 him even the love of thy best friends. Thou lovest dignity 
 and honour : come to the cross of Jesus, here are the means 
 of securing immortality, and of being exalted to imperish- 
 able glory. Thou lovest riches : but where are they in 
 greater abundance than there, where Jesus invites us to all 
 the treasures of the blessings of heaven ? Thou lovest plea- 
 sures : but what are all other pleasures to the joy which the 
 grace of a reconciled God bestows upon us ? Thou lovest 
 wisdom : behold, here at the cross of Jesus is the most pro- 
 found and celestial knowledge ! Here learnest thou that art 
 in which the wisest of men are deficient the art of subduing 
 thyself, the world, death, and hell. Thou lovest a long, 
 contented, and tranquil life: see, the Prince of Life, who 
 was crucified for thee, fulfils thy wishes, and satisfies thy 
 hope. 
 
 Be it then my unalterable resolution to love from my heart 
 the Lord crucified ! And how happy shall I be, if the love 
 of Him who was crucified fill my whole soul! I long, O 
 Jesus, after this happiness, and desire nothing so much as 
 that this love may replenish and govern my heart. There- 
 fore will I often and seriously reflect how imperative a duty 
 is the love of thee. No circumstances shall have such power 
 over my heart, as to draw me away from that devotion which 
 I owe to thee. Yet how many things will this day allure 
 me ! But I have formed the steadfast purpose, that nothing 
 shall so much charm me as thy cross and thy redemption, 
 thou love-abounding Jesus ! Friends, I will love you ; but 
 require not that I should forget that Friend who loved me 
 unto death. Wisdom, I will love thee ; but far more will 
 
WITH GOD. 89 
 
 I love Him, who has instructed me from the tree of Calvary. 
 Joys of Creation, I will love you ; but more dearly will I 
 love Him who has provided for me better and more lasting 
 delights, than nature in all her wide circle of productive 
 diversity can furnish. I will not be indifferent to all worldly 
 renown ; but the honour to be styled His follower and His 
 child, shall be with me a point of infinitely higher ambition. 
 Life, I will love thee ; but yet more will I love Him who 
 gave his own life away for me ; and to Him will T sa- 
 crifice thee, should he claim thee from me as an offering ' 
 I feel indeed how much this effort would cost my heart. 
 But, if I be supported by thee, O Lord, my Saviour; if thou 
 thyself fillest my bosom with love towards thee : then with a 
 voluntary and joyful mind shall I be able to resign all things 
 to thee, even those that are most cherished by me, and more- 
 over to extol thee through, my death. 
 
 FEBRUARY 26. 
 
 The Constant Remembrance of Christ. 
 
 WHO ought not to be mindful of thee, O Jesus, who art so 
 boundless in love ; who,, out of affection for us, hast suffered 
 and striven so much ;. who, amid the sharpest pangs of thy 
 afflictions, yes, even under the agonies of thy most rigorous 
 death, didst think of us and pray for us ? And yet, O self- 
 devoted Saviour, the world forgets what great thanks, and 
 how much love it owes thee ! Yet is it, notwithstanding 
 these affecting memorials of thy friendship, insensible to- 
 wards thee, and void of love ! But, though it may be that 
 many slight thee and are careless about thee, I will remember 
 thee,* I will keep thy griefs in memory ;, and on every recol- 
 lection of thy name, thank thee, that, through thy redemp- 
 tion, thou hast erected so glorious a monument of thy bene- 
 volence and thy truth. 
 
 Now will I banish out of my imagination all else that 
 rejoices and touches my heart, and solely abandon myself to 
 the contemplation of thy kindness ; for what could awake in 
 my breast a stronger, a more generous sympathy towards my 
 
90 MORNING COMMUNINGS 
 
 fellow-mortals, than the consideration of thy free-will offering, 
 and of the cheerfulness with which thou drankest the cup 
 presented to thee by thy Father, that thou mightest complete 
 the vast work of atonement. Thou hast endured so much, 
 and so gladly and yet I would hesitate or shrink back, 
 when, out of love, I ought to sacrifice my own gratifications 
 to the weal of my brethren, and submit to troubles for their 
 sake? Shall I linger, when charity calls me to works of 
 compassion ? No ; I will love my brethren as thou lovedst 
 them ; I will give up my life as thou gavest up thine to 
 liberate them. 
 
 At present I ponder with much earnestness on this unlim- 
 ited love; but, alas ! I fear that these sentiments may be borne 
 down by the distractions in which this day will involve me. 
 O, rule my heart, therefore, that I may be constantly mind- 
 ful of thee and true to thee, my Jesus 5 arid like unto thee 
 the very semblance ! If I receive from thee new blessings, 
 let me reflect how hard has been thy task to obtain them 
 for me. If my perverted heart incline to follow sin, remind 
 me of thy distress on the Olive Mount, of thy death on the 
 cross, through which thou hast done penance for my trans- 
 gressions. If the love which glows in my bosom towards 
 thee grow cold, let the retrospection of thy torments enliven 
 my torpid spirit. If my conscience struggle with melancholy 
 and terror, let me think of thy anguish, which has procured 
 quiet for my perturbed soul. If, through my trials, I should 
 become weak and downcast, let me remember that steadfast- 
 ness with which thou didst surmount all trials, and turn my 
 thoughts to that strengthening aid which thou, through thy 
 dying agonies, hast prepared for me. Thus will the sweet 
 recollection of thee. my Saviour, prove to me a safeguard 
 against sin, and a consolation under all the trials of this life; 
 and thus will it ultimately in my last hour serve as an anti- 
 dote to me against the venom of death. 
 
WITH GOD. 91 
 
 FEBRUARY 27. 
 
 Man rendered unworthy of the precious Blood of the Re- 
 deemer, through the unchristian Feelings of Anger and 
 Revenge. 
 
 OUT of love for mankind my Saviour suffered the death of 
 sinners. The misery of his brethren afflicted him, and he 
 generously took their debt upon himself: that they might 
 have peace, he was stricken ; and this highest proof of his 
 affection, he gave to the unthankful, to the unfeeling, and to 
 the merciless, to them that mocked at him, and defamed him ; 
 he died amid the insults of irreconcilable foes. Thus per- 
 fectly did he fulfil his own glorious doctrine: Pray for them 
 that persecute and revile thee ! And I who count myself in 
 the number of those who profess his name, and boast myself 
 one of his redeemed, I would recompense evil with evil ! 
 I would nourish rancour and enmity in my heart, and yield 
 to the folly of imagining that revenge is sweet ! Oh ! far be 
 from me such unchristian sentiments ; they would destroy 
 the quiet of my conscience, and deprive me of the grace of 
 God, debase me, and render me unworthy of the salvation of 
 Jesus. Henceforward, from this day will I labour to adopt 
 his example, and to be placable, gentle, and noble-ininded. 
 Herein confirm me, O my God : and let the image of my 
 Saviour, so redundant in meekness, rise before my eyes, 
 as often as I shall be tempted to anger or vengeance. Stead- 
 fast and unmoved, I vow to thee, thou searcher of hearts, 
 will I endure the unprovoked affronts of wicked men ; every 
 thing through which I may be offended will I refer in secret 
 to thee, all-righieous arbiter, who rewardest each of us ac- 
 cording to his works. Like my Jesus will I bless them that 
 curse me ; arid do good to them that detest and injure me. 
 For thus I shall possess the consolatory consciousness that 
 thou art gracious to me, that I belong to thy household, and 
 am under thy blessing. 
 
 How little should I deserve, if I entertained hateful and 
 revengeful passions, to be ransomed by that precious blood 
 whicirthou, O Saviour, hast shed for me ! How would 
 the angels regard me with horror, they who make thy pro- 
 
92 MORNING COMMUNINGS 
 
 pitiation the constant theme of their hymns of praise ! How 
 little should I be in unison with the assembly of the blessed, 
 who perpetually occupy themselves with the contemplation 
 and glorification of thy redeeming death ! And how wouldst 
 thou look upon me me whom thou hast so inexpressibly 
 loved ? Never, never let me wrong thee by such ingratitude. 
 The less I am in a condition worthily to magnify thee even 
 by the most ardent thankfulness, the more will I strive to 
 honour thee through a zealous and faithful imitation ; the 
 more ready shall my soul be to execute thy chief command- 
 ment, the commandment of love: the more earnestly shall 
 my heart acknowledge thy goodness, by copying thy mercy 
 and this will I do in order that thou mayst hereafter on 
 the great day of judgment account me among thy faithful, and 
 deern me deserving of thy fellowship. 
 
 FEBRUARY 28. 
 
 The Horror of that Self-reproach which tells the Sinner, 
 that for him the Death of the Redeemer has been in vain. 
 
 How agonizing would the reproaches be, which I should 
 have to make to myself, if with such plentiful aids towards 
 becoming blessed, I should go down to perdition ! God has 
 done everything for me, and I would not let myself be saved. 
 All the endeavours of the Lord had my happiness for their 
 aim ; and 1 employed myself in heaping up my own con- 
 demnation. All that Jesus suffered tended to this purpose, 
 to free me from the curse ; but I, I voluntarily chose it, and 
 cast away his blessings. God works my regeneration, I, niy 
 own obduracy; he, my lioeration,,!, my own slavery; he, 
 my felicity, I, my own downfall. He wished to give me 
 heaven, and I, idiot that I was, and blind, selected to my 
 misery, hell. And such are the upbraidings by which the 
 damned will hereafter be tortured, and which will augment 
 their anguish beyond measure. Through these accusations 
 will they themselves convict their own conscience, and the 
 expressions of their own lips will justify God's judgment. 
 The spilt blood of Jesus will cry out for wrath against them; 
 
WITH GOD. 93 
 
 the consoling thought that they were once ransomed will be 
 to them a fresh cause of grief; and everlasting though fruit- 
 less remorse will devour them. 
 
 But for me, I still live ; and my repentance and peni- 
 tence may still be profitable to me. Did it now please thee, 
 
 Lord, to take me from this world, full of reverence should 
 
 1 be constrained to acknowledge, that thou hast left nothing 
 undone to render me blessed ; but at the same time, with 
 shame and contrition, must I confess my own ingratitude and 
 contempt of thy favour. I should be forced to approve the 
 sentence which thou wouldst pronounce upon me. But, O 
 long-suffering and merciful God, yet spare me, and grant 
 me space to repent of my unthankfulness and my obstinacy. 
 My sins, through which I have dishonoured the merits of 
 my Saviour, are to me grievous in remembrance, and full of 
 vexation. Ah ! let me be restored to peace through the tor- 
 ments which, for me, my Redeemer has undergone ? let me 
 not despond under the waitings of my conscience, but let me 
 find rest in the belief that my Saviour has endured for me ! 
 And if hitherto his Spirit has not moved me, if his word has 
 not influenced me, if his admonition has not brought me to re- 
 pentance, henceforth must every succeeding day testify for 
 me, that I work out my salvation with fear and trembling; 
 that I wisely spend the period of probation which, through 
 God's grace, remains to me ; that I seriously and earnestly 
 strive to become worthy of the redemption of Christ, and of 
 that supreme blessing which I daily supplicate from thee, O 
 my Father ! Especially in that decisive moment, when my 
 sins shall torment me, and awakenedconscience a ffright me, 
 and the expectation of the grave and judgment oppress me 
 with sadness, be merciful to me, O Jesus, and let me, through 
 the potency of thy expiring pangs, vanquish all tribulation, 
 all anxiety, all doubt, all terror ! 
 
 FEBRUARY 29. 
 
 Misspent Time. 
 
 THEY are fled for ever the days which composed the 
 month are this day terminated. Nothing of them, except 
 
94 MORNING COMMUNINGS 
 
 the remembrance, remains to me, and even this perhaps will 
 vanish with the present morning ! Yet it shall not be so I 
 will strive to fix the recollection of them deeply in my soul, 
 and carefully to reckon the hours which I have left behind 
 me. But, alas ! how many squandered days do I with 
 shame and sorrow encounter among them ! How many that 
 I have sacrificed to the indulgence of my pleasures ; how 
 many which I have employed on things which are indeed 
 permitted, but which I have thus employed with a far differ- 
 ent view from that of serving God; how many which I 
 have consumed in frivolous amusements, in superfluous at- 
 tention to my body, and in idleness ! All this is time lost, 
 And how few have been the minutes during the same period 
 which I have devoted to the concerns of my salvation, and 
 to prepare myself for heaven! 
 
 Yet, among all these misspent days, each was distin- 
 guished by God's beneficent love. I could not have existed 
 so many moments as I have lived weeks, had not God's 
 mercy borne with me, and his patience spared me. O ! how 
 lowly must I therefore humble myself before thee, most gra- 
 cious Lord, and how highly magnify thy goodness, which is 
 the sole comfort of my life ! But shall I still longer dream 
 away my existence, and still further abuse thy patience ? 
 No, I will strain, with redoubled industry, every nerve to 
 attain the object for which my life was bestowed upon me. 
 The less active I have hitherto been in providing for my 
 salvation, the more strenuous will I be for the future, in fit- 
 ting myself for eternity. This shall be the primary scope of 
 all my thoughts, efforts, cares, and undertakings. This very 
 day will I make the commencement of my purposed sacred 
 occupation. For how uncertain is the duration of my vital 
 career ? What answer is there to the question, How many 
 days shall I still live ? O Lord, I know not the hour which 
 shall gather me to the multitude of thy departed. The night 
 of death may even now perhaps be gathering round me, ere 
 I have completed this supplication, or stammered out to thee 
 my praise. And what would become of me should this 
 perhaps be realized ? 
 
 What would I, at the last day of my life, desire in regard 
 to the days that preceded it ? Doubtless this, that they had 
 not been lost. Grant me then, O God, the prudence to lay 
 
WITH GOD. &5 
 
 out my days to advantage-, and to consider their real utility 
 and purpose. I must work while it is yet light ; the time 
 cometh, when no man can work. Eternity approaches, 
 when there will be no time for repentance, no time for re- 
 turn, no time for indulgence, no time for trial. And if 
 eternity were now to seize me ! Ah ! eternal God, cut me 
 not off in thy anger ; but be propitious to me, and endure 
 me with forbearance, that I may reach the goal of my faith 
 and my hope my soul's salvation. 
 
 MARCH 1. 
 
 The Blessedness of Heaven. 
 
 IN how r lively a manner does each time that I awake from 
 my sleep remind me of my appointed awakening from the 
 torpor of the grave of my eternal and most high destiny ; 
 how much then, also, do I rejoice that Christ has taken away 
 the dominion of death, and through his gospel brought life 
 and imperishable existence even for me into light ! As often 
 a my heart bears witness to me, that I have walked before 
 God, and been deserving of his approbation, I feel a con- 
 scious foretaste of that felicity which shall hereafter in hea- 
 ven be the reward of piety and faithfulness. But if the de- 
 light which fills the souls of the holy already on earth be so 
 exquisite, how indescribably rapturous must be the bliss of 
 the saints made perfect above ! Does the heart even in this 
 world, feel itself so contented in the love and the expectation 
 of God ; how happy will it be when it is freed, both from the 
 weakness which here still oppresses it, and from the pains of 
 the frail body ; and when it is able to exalt itself with purest 
 adoration and reverence to its Creator ! Does the Lord 
 grant to me already here so many gratifications in the mu- 
 tual interchanges of friendship ; how will it be in heaven, 
 when I become a co-mate of the angels, and a companion of 
 the glorified ! Am I already here so rich, so full of joy, so 
 fortunate ; how rich, how transported, how gifted with good 
 things shall I be in heaven ! 
 
 Soar then aloft O my soul, to that place of completed 
 
96 MORNING COMMUNINGS 
 
 felicity. Rejoice in thy celestial vocation, comfort thyself 
 with thy eternal inheritance, when the earth burdens and 
 afflicts thee with its cares, and when thy temporal futurity 
 appears dark and dubious. Cheer thyself under every sepa- 
 ration that occasions thee sorrow and dejection with the 
 thought that thou wilt one day find again in heaven all 
 those of whom death hath deprived thee here ; and wilt 
 there enter into the most intimate connexion with Christ him- 
 self. Accustom thyself to keep the blessedness of heaven 
 constantly in view, so will the world vanish from thy sight, 
 and nothing will then seem so desirable or important to thee 
 as those better regions to which thou art destined. Fre- 
 quently compare the present short and wearisome state with 
 that pleasing and everlasting condition in heaven, so wilt 
 thou never fail in comfort, in hope, and in joy. In hope thou 
 wilt be blessed. 
 
 MARCH 2. 
 
 Jesus the only Comfort under Sin in the Hour of Death. 
 
 UNSOLICITOUS about my sins, and unmoved by the punish- 
 ment which awaits them, already thus far have I proceeded 
 carelessly along the path of life, and only a fleeting fruitless 
 thought has now and then risen in my soul to remind me of 
 my committed errors. But I endeavour, or rather I wish, 
 much more hope, that I shall not now continue in this cul- 
 pable negligence. A time indeed must come when the entire 
 magnitude of my sins will present itself before me ; when my 
 slumbering conscience will awake; when my insensible heart 
 will learn its wretchedness, and the feeling of my unworthi- 
 ness will lie upon me like a heavy load. Unconcerned as I 
 now am, I shall not at least be so on the approach of 
 death. Ah ! then, then will all that is frightful come toge- 
 ther, and the burden which has hitherto been so strange to 
 me, will press upon me with a double weight. And when 
 thus self-accused and self-condemned, and on the brink of 
 the grave, I perceive and confess the enormity of my guilt ; 
 when hastening dissolution and impending judgment strike 
 
WITH GOD. 
 
 97 
 
 me with affright ; when there is no ease in my bones, and 
 no comfort in my breast ; what refuge will then be held out 
 to me if it is not thy cross, O Jesus, on which thou hast 
 atoned for my transgressions ? How inadequate will then 
 all the means of consolation appear to me, by which I have 
 hitherto lulled asleep my remorse ! How little soothing will 
 be those grounds of tranquillity by which I now strive to 
 uphold myself! Nothing, nothing will remain to me for my 
 encouragement, except faith in thee, who earnest to make 
 sinners blessed, in my Redeemer and my Saviour. 
 
 But if this is the best trust of my heart, wherefore do I not 
 even now have recourse to this comfort ? Wherefore do I 
 not immediately provide for myself healing against the hour 
 of agony ? Ah ! my God, I shall always proceed headlong 
 in security and in indifference, if thou thyself govern not my 
 steps. It is, however, my reliance and my joy, that thou 
 art powerful in thy weakness, that love to thee arms my 
 heart with strength and courage, and that I am able to effect 
 all things through him that makes me of great might even 
 Christ. 
 
 MARCH 3. 
 
 Lessons of High Import drawn from the awful Passion of 
 the Holy Saviour. 
 
 WITH all the horrors, which the sufferings of Jesus on the 
 Mount of Olives involves, still is his struggle for me a most 
 instructive lesson. For this reason will I contemplate my 
 sorrowing Saviour, and from his conduct under these sore 
 pangs learn the virtues in which I ought to be like to him. 
 
 Behold, Jesus worships alone ; he instantly withdraws 
 himself from the society of his dearest friends, as soon as he 
 purposes to converse in prayer with his Father. How full 
 of counsel is this example ! Occasions may occur in my 
 own life, when the sympathy of my truest well-wishers can 
 afford me no relief, and when private discourse with my God 
 will remain my only consolation. Then, after the manner of 
 Christ, will I bear myself away from every object that may 
 divert my thoughts, and in lonely stillness pour out my soul 
 
 TT 
 
 H 
 
 MITBESITJ) 
 
98 MORNING COMMUNINGS 
 
 before God, and commend to him all those circumstances, in 
 which I can expect no help even from the most faithful par- 
 ticipators in my interests. And with what humility does my 
 Redeemer offer up his supplications ! he sinks down upon 
 his knees, he lies with his face towards the earth. And who 
 was this lowly petitioner ? He, to whom all knees bow ; he, 
 to whom in token of adoration all creatures prostrate them- 
 selves in the dust, and before whose resplendent gaze the 
 very angels are obliged to veil their countenances ! Who am 
 I, that I am ashamed to cast myself in the dust before God ? 
 I am nothing but mere dust itself and ashes ; yet would I 
 not bend beneath the powerful hand of the Omnipotent ! 
 
 Jesus prays repeatedly : again and again he falls on the 
 ground before God, nor ceases till the Deity listens to his 
 entreaty. So persevering, so ardent, so confiding must my 
 prayers also be: at length I too shall be heard as my Jesus 
 was. How affecting is his submission to the will of his 
 Father ! The distress which he then felt was the most 
 severe, yet is he ready to drink the bitter cup, yet he resigns 
 himself to God's pleasure, and cries out, " Not as I will, 
 but as thou wilt." How insignificant are all my troubles 
 and trials, in comparison with what Jesus here experienced ! 
 And nevertheless, under the slightest grievances I often be- 
 come discontented with the governance of the Omniscient. 
 How am I covered with shame when I regard my Jesus ! 
 Patient, gentle-hearted Jesus, imbue my breast w r ith thy 
 disposition. Let me look up to thee, if 1 should grow faint 
 in the combat with sin, become slow to do good, impatient 
 under thy decrees, or refractory under thy guidance. The 
 glorious issue of thy calamities inspires me with the cheer- 
 ing hope that my woes shall also end in victory. In me 
 also wilt thou evince that thy ways are the best, and that 
 thy pleasure is holy and good, however unjust it may appear 
 to my perverted understanding. On this hope my soul re- 
 poses. I know that through thy pangs thou hast procured 
 comfort and ease even for my hours of probation. Thy 
 prayer will obtain effect and acceptance for my sighs : thy 
 triumph will render my battle light; and the angels that 
 invigorated thee will also bring me refreshment and balm. 
 
 How rich in precept and in encouragement is thus to me, 
 O Jesus, the dreadful portraiture of thy mental agonies ! I 
 
WITH GOD. 
 
 will never forget them, but impress them deeply on my heart, 
 arid for ever praise thee, that thou hast suffered for me at 
 Gethsemane. 
 
 MARCH 4. 
 
 Peter and Judas, or Self-confidence condemned. 
 
 PERHAPS I think within myself, that I should be incapable 
 of exercising such treachery towards Jesus as Peter and 
 Judas were guilty of. Perhaps it appears to me an easy 
 matter to be more resolute under temptation, and more in- 
 vincible against the attacks of the lust of gold than these 
 disciples were. But do I well know the depth of my own 
 heart ? Alas ! it is for me but too possible to fail under 
 such trials ! A few temporal advantages need only to beckon 
 to me, a scoffer need only to taunt me, a small number of 
 difficulties incident to the profession of a Christian need only 
 to assail me, and I shall be as speedily overcome as Peter, 
 and may sin as grievously as Judas ! Did I consider this, I 
 should be more on my guard in the practice of virtue ; I 
 should always remain conscious of my innate feebleness, and 
 never give room in my imagination to a fox>lish presumption 
 on my own firmness ; I should watch and pray without 
 ceasing, and constantly be mindful, according to the words 
 of my Saviour, how weak, notwithstanding all the willing- 
 ness of my spirit, my flesh is ! 
 
 Yes, in all humility will I confess it : my flesh is weak, 
 my heart corrupted, and my ability exceedingly small. I 
 cannot withstand temptations, if the power of Jesus himself 
 does not support me. O, how often already have I been 
 faithless and fickle in the resolutions which I had formed to 
 oppose evil, and to devote myself to what is good ! I live 
 in a world where innumerable seductions may shake my 
 steadfastness, and I must have higher aid than my own not 
 lo fall beneath them. O God, let not my passions, let not 
 dn separate me from thee ! And should I be so lost as to 
 depart from thee, let me as sincerely weep over my unfaith- 
 fulness as Peter did, and be as much comforted through thy 
 
100 MORNING COMMUNINOS 
 
 love as be felt himself; and then remain as uninterruptedly 
 true to thee as he afterwards was. 
 
 Ah ! how sorrowful should I be at the view of so many 
 dangers which menace my virtue, at the thought of so many 
 snares that are laid for my perdition, at the contemplation of 
 so many trials that in this life are prepared for my endur- 
 ance, if I could not establish my trust in thy grace and in 
 thy protection ! Look down upon me, most merciful Jesus, 
 when I shall be ready to yield in the contest with sin, and 
 let me be prompted, by my affection towards thee, to mourn 
 over my iniquity, and to turn back to thee full of repentance. 
 I know that thou wilt even again this day be engaged in 
 promoting my amendment, through thy Spirit, and seek to 
 draw me to thee through the multiplied evidences of thy 
 tenderness. O! let not this operation of thy mercy be in 
 vain. Through many a blessing, through the meditation of 
 thy word, through the testimony of my own conscience, and 
 through the force of truth, wilt thou strive to bring me 
 nearer to thee : O that thy work may not be frustrated in 
 me ! Let me hear when thou speakest ; follow when thou 
 callest; and with a contrite, broken, and believing heart, 
 turn back to thee, when thou regardest me. How oft wilt 
 thou put to me this inquiry, Dost thou love me ? Let me 
 then also reply to thee, with as much sincerity, as much 
 feeling, as much joy as Peter, " Yea, Lord, thou knowest all 
 things, thou knowest that I love thee." 
 
 MARCH 5. 
 
 Glorying in the Cross. 
 
 WHO can otherwise than with deepest woe regard the wrongs 
 which Jesus was compelled to endure from brutal and spite- 
 ful men ; he, who was so worthy to be adored from the very 
 soul, and honoured in the highest degree? How barbarously 
 cruel is it to regard unlimited love with ingratitude, to be 
 pitiless at the spectacle of the most horrible martyrdom, to 
 scoff at the most profound and consolatory truths ; and, amid 
 such expressive memorials of mercy, not to see, not to feel, 
 
WITH GOD. 101 
 
 not to be wholly transported into amazement and veneration ! 
 So base a disposition of mind were scarcely credible, did not 
 even our own times present to us the saddest evidences of 
 its reality. Alas ! I often see my Saviour loaded with such 
 insults as he was forced to endure in the days of his tribula- 
 tion. He himself is indeed exalted above every attack ; but 
 how often are his divine and great mission and doctrine de- 
 based ? how often is his holy name uttered without awe and 
 without affection ? What true follower of Jesus can behold 
 without sorrow that to the cunning of the world the cross of 
 Jesus is an offence and a folly? that, struck with thick dark- 
 ness, these, in their blind conceits, slight the Ransomer, be- 
 cause they think that they require no ransom ? O ye, my 
 unhappy brethren, would that by my tears I might be able 
 to move you ; by my prayers to reform you ; and by my 
 conduct to teach you, how infinitely wise is that gospel which 
 ye decry! 
 
 Yes, ye may go on in your blindness, and continue to be 
 foes to the cross ! I for my part will so much the more 
 loudly boast of this cross by you despised ; so much the 
 more zealously acknowledge my Jesus ; so much the more 
 cheerfully, through my reverence, love, and fidelity, glorify 
 him. I will lead you O that ye may follow ! I will lead 
 you to this crucified Jesus, show you his tortures, his stream- 
 ing blood, his wounded body, his indescribable anguish, and 
 his kindness without end : show you how this sacrificed 
 Lamb prays for you, blesses you, and opens for you the por- 
 tals of the skies ; and then shall I see whether you can longer 
 restrain from worshipping him, magnifying him, adoring 
 him. And will the sinner remain thankless and insensible ? 
 O ! then must that strict judgment, to which he is so near, 
 affright him; that blood, which cries out against him for 
 vengeance, must terrify him ; that Judge, whom he shall 
 one day see in this same Jesus, whom he contemns, must 
 shake him with alarm. 
 
 As for me, however, O Jesus, the contemplation of thy 
 sufferings comforts and confirms me ; thy blood, which thoii 
 hast shed, blesses me ; the expectation of thy judgment 
 cheers me. Never will I be ashamed of thy gospel, but it 
 shall be my chief honour that I know thee, and can celebrate 
 thy labours of compassion. In these sentiments strengthen 
 
102 MORNING COMMUN^aS 
 
 me, O my Redeemer, and guard my heart, that it allow not 
 itself to be misled by the example of the impious, but until 
 death rest truly and constantly devoted to thee. Though 
 many separate from thee, both on the right and on the left, 
 grant me the power to remain by thee unalterably, to confess 
 thee before the face of thy enemies, and, above all, never 
 through levity or unbelief to deny thee. Lo! with the com- 
 mencement of this day I make in thy presence a vow of 
 everlasting attachment to thee. 
 
 MARCH 6. 
 
 Resolution to follow Jesus. 
 
 I WILL follow Jesus: this resolution is the most proper that 
 rny soul can form. Love, gratitude, obedience all bind me 
 to follow my Saviour, and to exert myself to be admitted 
 into his community. But when at the same time I consider 
 the worthiness of him whose follower I ought to be, and the 
 blessedness which is connected with his service, this vocation 
 appears to me of a description the most dignified and desir- 
 able. And what then prevents me from exercising its du- 
 ties? The difficulties, perhaps, which are inseparable from 
 them. It is true that, in following him, I must dispense 
 with many transient pleasures, renounce many apparent ad- 
 vantages, sacrifice to him, if required, whatever I hold dearest 
 on earth, and keep myself prepared for numerous hardships. 
 But still the delights which attend this oblation to Christ far 
 compensate all that unpleasantness at which the flesh is apt 
 to shudder. How sweet is it to experience in the fellowship 
 of the Saviour that tranquillity of soul, those joys amid the 
 w r orld's tumultuous troubles, and that peace, passing all un- 
 derstanding, with which Jesus endows his votaries ! How 
 sweet is it to be able to say with Paul, " I know in whom I 
 trust, and am certain that he can keep for me my celebration 
 till that day! How sweet is it when, at the close of his life, 
 a man can strengthen himself with this reflect! n: I have 
 been like to Jesus in his degradation, now henceforth for 
 evermore shall I be like to him in his exaltation; I have 
 
WITH GOD. 103 
 
 followed him through rough and dark ways, now shall T 
 follow him in the path of joy and glory ; I have borne his 
 cross, now will this cross be my triumph and felicity ! Take 
 to thyself courage, Christian heart ! only a few minutes yet 
 remain, only a short contest is yet to be surmounted by thee, 
 only a small burden hast thou yet to carry, ere thou fully 
 experience the happiness of belonging to the train of Jesus. 
 Daily renew thy determination to dedicate thyself to thy 
 Redeemer. When around thee on every side, obstacles, 
 allurements, and enticements, conspire to render thee of a 
 wavering mind then, Christian, be a hero, and fight for 
 thyself a free passage through all difficulties. Gather under 
 the cross of Jesus ever fresh encouragement and new vigour 
 for thy Christian calling. Look upon his invincible heroism, 
 his steadfastness, which no tortures can shake, his obedience 
 with which he so readily bows to the mandate of his Father. 
 But contemplate also his victory and the termination of his 
 griefs. So as he is, shalt thou according to thy debasement 
 be lifted up. So as he did, shalt thou at length exclaim : 
 " It is finished." 
 
 Surely, therefore, I must resolve in my soul to become 
 like to Jesus ! Though all his redeemed should forsake him, 
 and he should then ask me: And thou whom I have so 
 dearly loved and rendered so happy and so blessed, wilt thou 
 also go from me ? I would answer with decision and rap- 
 ture, " Whither shall I go? Thou hast the words of ever- 
 lasting life." No, never will I depart from thee. 
 
 MARCH 7. 
 Victory over Death and the Grave. 
 
 O! THAT I might die as died the JUST ONE, who through 
 his death redeemed the world ; that I might die with that 
 pure and holy consciousness of rectitude, which my Saviour 
 felt, with that firm belief in an eternal life, with that unre- 
 sisting resignation to the will of the celestial Father, which 
 Jesus manifested ! O ! that I might one day be able like 
 Lim to commend my spirit into the hands of the Almighty, 
 
104 MORNING COMMUN1NGS 
 
 who bestowed it ! Therefore will I, that I may die tranquil 
 and happy, keep close watch over my heart; that it con- 
 demn me not in my last hour, I will observe the stirrings 
 and warnings of my conscience; that it accuse me not, when 
 my expiring breath only lingers yet an instant ere it vanish, 
 I will do good and weary not, while it is yet the day, lest 
 the night, in which no man can work, surprise me in slothful 
 indolence, or light-minded carelessness. I will work out my 
 salvation with fear and trembling. Thus, whenever God 
 calls me, I shall be bold to comfort myself with the trust 
 that the crucified SON hath made my peace also with the 
 FATHER; hath eradicated my guilt, and obtained for me the 
 immortality of heaven. 'Thanks be to the Lord, who even 
 on me has bestowed the victory over death arid the grave, 
 through Jesus Christ! "It is finished!" ejaculated rny 
 Saviour, as he bowed his head, and yielded up the ghost ; 
 finished is the stupendous labour of redemption ; finished is 
 the sacrifice for the sins of the world ; finished is the con- 
 quest over the powers of darkness! 
 
 O ! that when my earthly day's work shall likewise shortly 
 be completed, I may cease from my labour, like Jesus, in 
 the congratulating conviction, that my memory will survive 
 amid blessings, my name be uttered with thankfulness and 
 regret by all those whom God has entrusted to my care or 
 confided to my esteem ! O ! that I may not at the extremity 
 of my life have cause to groan over its lost and squandered 
 years, over my own impenitent and incorrigible heart 1 
 Strengthen me, my God and Father, that I may be faithful 
 to thee even unto the end ; create in me a pure mind, and 
 vouchsafe to me an understanding spirit. I will not cease 
 to strive against iniquity, and pray, till the period of my pil- 
 grimage is fulfilled. Constantly will I retain Jesus before 
 my eyes, in his obedience, in his truth, in his consummation ; 
 and never forget what gratitude I owe him for his death, 
 and how incumbent a duty is it upon me to praise him both 
 with my body and my soul. 
 
WITH GOD. 105 
 
 MARCH 8. 
 
 Instigation to Self-amendment through the Contemplation of 
 the holy Life of Jesus. 
 
 OUGHT not every glance which I direct inwardly upon my- 
 self, every consolation which I feel under the accusations of 
 my conscience, and every encouragement furnished through 
 faith to my feeble heart; ought not all this to remind me of 
 that Divine Sufferer who won for me on the cross everlasting 
 salvation ? Ought it not to enliven and confirm my grateful 
 reverence towards my Redeemer? Ought it not to restrain 
 me from every sin, establish me in all good? For then only 
 do I belong to the redeemed of Christ, when I work my refor- 
 mation with an active zeal, when I tire not in well doing. And 
 what should draw forth this ardour in my breast more strongly, 
 than the contemplation of the hallowed walk of my Saviour ? 
 He hath left me an example that I might follow his footsteps. 
 Therefore will I think of his disinterested and spotless bro- 
 therly love, whenever selfishness and avarice take possession 
 of my heart. I will call to remembrance his immovable 
 fidelity, when inconstancy assails me ; his mildness, when an- 
 ger prompts me to wickedness; his indulgence and coolness, 
 when the errors of my fellow-men lead me into vehemence 
 of temper; his indefatigableness, when the toils of my pro- 
 fession render me discontented; his fortitude, when I feel 
 despondent and pusillanimous because of the embarrassments 
 of life ; his trust in his God, when, weak in spirit, I would 
 cast away comfort, and would despair. And lastly, when 
 my soul is overwhelmed and in trouble at the prospect of 
 death, then, shall the CRUCIFIED ETERNAL stand mani- 
 fest to my sight, arrayed in his firmness and tranquillity of 
 mind. I will suffer as he suffered ; hope as he hoped ; obey 
 unto death ; and die as he died, in believing confidence in 
 my" God and my Father. 
 
 MARCH 9. 
 
 Christ's dgony on the Cross. 
 
 " MY God ! why hast thou forsaken me ? " So great was 
 the agony of the expiring Redeemer, that, overpowered by 
 
106 MORNING COMMUNINGS 
 
 anguish, this is the complaint into which he broke forth ! 
 So poignant were his pangs, that his soul at lenoth, as it 
 were, for a moment forgot its composure, its confidence, its 
 constancy ! Yet only for a moment did Jesus feel this 
 failure of heart ; soon did his spirit recover its wonted mag- 
 nanimity, and triumph over the sensations of the body. Thus 
 even in the dismay and in the weakness of his human nature 
 was he a pattern to those, who by the decrees of God are 
 doomed to endure; for he fortified himself through his faith, 
 his charity, and his hope. His faith that he was now re- 
 turning to God, arid that this death completed the task of 
 salvation, gave him courage and vigour; his charity towards 
 his adopted brethren made him steadfast and strong; the 
 hope that under the protection of God his work would re- 
 main, and ensure the blessings of holiness to the latest pos- 
 terity, cheered him when the terrors of death smote him to 
 the quick. It seemed to him only for an instant, while tor- 
 ture unnerved him, as though he were abandoned by the 
 Lord, then did his pious devoted spirit forthwith vanquish 
 all corporeal pangs and distress, and through this victory was 
 Jesus already glorified in death ; for herein did he evince 
 the amazing worthiness and divine energy of his soul; 
 herein was rendered visible the higher than mortal aid, sup- 
 ported by which he suffered and struggled. His soul con- 
 quered, while the fragile fabric of the body crumbled into 
 ruin ; it already lived in heaven, while the flesh combated 
 with death's last misery. Christ hath taken away the power 
 of death ! Thanks be to God, who hath laid death prostrate 
 even at our feet, through our Lord Jesus Christ ! Therefore 
 though both my soul and body languish ; still art thou my 
 God and my Father, the consolation of my heart and my por- 
 tion ! still art thou my stay, O Saviour of mankind ! What 
 should I fear since my heart is consecrated to thee, by thee 
 is supported and comforted ? To thee will I live, to thee 
 also will I die! 
 
WITH GOD. 107 
 
 MARCH 10. 
 
 The Glory of Heaven. 
 
 IF with such powerful assistance as I possess towards the 
 attainment of my salvation, I strove not patiently in good 
 works after eternal life; if with that glorious prospect which 
 my faith opens to me of a second existence of retribution, 
 I did not wisely employ the period of preparation which is 
 now allotted to me, I were unworthy of the blessings which 
 the gospel of Jesus offers to me, unworthy of the Redeemer, 
 who for my immortal welfare yielded himself up a prey to 
 death. He became a pilgrim on the earth, he cast off the 
 felicity which he might without interruption have enjoyed in 
 the mansions of his Father, and took upon himself instead the 
 most exquisite sufferings. This was the way in which he 
 returned to his glory, and obtained for me those great delights, 
 which await me in heaven. I should more gratefully esti- 
 mate these services of my Redeemer, if the contemplation of 
 heaven made as strong an impression on my mind as the 
 world and its vain gratifications. But in the enjoyment of 
 carnal benefits, I forget my loftier destination, rny true great- 
 ness, my celestial hopes, and the incorruptible treasures on 
 high. Yes, I even forget him who has brought me to my 
 present state of happiness; at least, I love him neither so 
 fervently nor so tenderly as his love towards me requires. 
 
 O ! if 1 more frequently considered the grandeur of that 
 New Jerusalem which is reserved for the saints, and the 
 boundless immensity of the pleasures of heaven ; more highly 
 should I value the bestower of these advantages, and less 
 worthy would terrestrial things be deemed of my desire or 
 regard. One slight glance into the splendour of that glory 
 would make me indifferent to all the ravishment of this lower 
 universe, and fill me with rapturous admiration and reveren- 
 tial awe towards my Redeemer. 
 
 Look then, my soul, upon the glory that is appointed thee. 
 There wilt thou find other and more deserving objects of thy 
 esteem than the temporal allurements which smile upon thee 
 here. There wilt thou find the surest proofs, the happiest 
 results of the redemption of thy Jesus. Accompanied by 
 
108 MORNING COMMLTN1NGS 
 
 these blissful views, venture this morning into the world. 
 Accustom thyself to regard the world on its proper side, and 
 to act according to the wise maxims of Christianity. A place, 
 where thou art only to rest, to gather fresh strength, and pre- 
 pare for a more important journey, claims not thy attach- 
 ment, merits not that thou shouldst make it the main atten- 
 tion of thy travel. However numerous may be the charms 
 which the present life contains for thee, forget not that thou 
 art merely a sojourner, who shall only taste the pleasantness 
 of the earth, never satisfy thyself with it. Break loose from 
 the bonds of sensuality, and from thy lusts, and bestir thy- 
 self through the grace of God to prefer in an infinitely 
 higher measure those joys which are in store for thee above. 
 Even here conduct thyself as a denizen of heaven. Be as 
 rich in love, as sincere in mind, as steadfast in virtue, as en- 
 tirely devoted to God, as those blessed spirits are whose com- 
 panions thou art to be. Fulfil the will of the Omnipotent as 
 faithfully as the righteous made perfect practise it. The con- 
 templation of heaven must inspire thee, faith in Jesus must 
 to this end endue thee with strength ! He that has pur- 
 chased for thee thy salvation will send thee the means to in- 
 herit it. 
 
 MARCH 11. 
 
 The Christian taught perfect Love by the Pattern and Con- 
 duct, of Jesus. 
 
 TKACH me, O Jesus, to love thy life and thy example, in its 
 utmost purity and force. From thee I learn how I ought 
 to love my brethren in wisdom and in truth, and bind them 
 to me by benefits. Thou devotedst all thy hours to well 
 doing. When thou wast about to suffer, thou didst pray 
 beforehand throughout the entire night, that thy soul might 
 be armed with the strong panoply of love towards thy Father 
 in heaven. How affectionately didst thou warn thy disciples 
 against instability under their trials ? Thou sawest the fla- 
 gitiousness of thy betrayer, and immediately thou didst work 
 on his heart ! Thou sawest that the woman who anointed 
 
WITH GOD. 109 
 
 thee was uncharitably blamed ; and with the most ardent 
 noble-minded tenderness thou tookest part with her the sin- 
 ner that felt true repentance, and raised herself up again from 
 her fall. Thou knowest how salutary to all sincere professors 
 of thy name the continual remembrance of thy death would 
 prove, and how much they would stand in need of being 
 strengthened in godliness and in belief; and with provident 
 love thou didst institute for them a memorial feast of thy pas- 
 sage to the tomb, that thy worshippers might never forget 
 that no one has greater love than this, that he gives up his 
 life for his brethren. With what mildness and compassion 
 didst thou expostulate with thy enemies, and, above all, with 
 the kiss-beguiling traitor! With what tenderness did thy 
 filial heart take care for thy beloved mother, that she might 
 feel comforted and might not be forsaken ! O sweet friend- 
 ship ! so long as I can breathe will I remain true to thee, and 
 even in death still will I delight in thee. Ah ! that I too, 
 like Jesus in his last hour, might yet rouse a sinner to re- 
 morse ! Ah ! that I too in seasons of trouble might cling to 
 God as though he were my God; that in contented stillness 
 I might disclose to him my latest wishes, and make my com- 
 plaint to him in my extreme pangs. But thou consoling 
 speech : " It is finished ! " how effectually shouldst thou exhort 
 me to accomplish the work which my Father has given me 
 also to perform, that I may then depart out of this toilsome 
 existence into rest. Father, I commend my spirit into thy 
 charge ! 
 
 Thus blessedly may a man close his life, if he has received 
 a sense of Christ Jesus, a sense of obedience and of love, into 
 his heart. And this sense vouchsafe to me, O Jesus. Ear- 
 nestly do I wish, like thee, through acts of love and piety, to 
 be able to scatter blessings and happiness around me, and to 
 be the friend of mankind. But thou must confer upon me 
 the ability. Let my life be distinguished by eminent virtues, 
 Jet me in my distresses present a laudable example of forti- 
 tude and patience; finally let me die tranquil and happy ! 
 This is all that I ask from thee, and if thou fulfillest my pe- 
 tition, as I trust with confidence thou wilt, O ! how blessed 
 a day will this be for me ! Then shall I never have cause 
 to be sorry that I have lived to behold it ! If so divinely fa 
 voured, how joyfully shall I be able to pass this day, evep 
 though it were my last ! 
 
110 MORXING COMMUNINGS 
 
 MARCH 12 
 
 The Assistance of God in the fulfilling of the Souls pious 
 Determinations humbly implored. 
 
 How much vigour do I feel for the Christian fight; how 
 much courage and confidence when, full of reverence, I ele- 
 vate my heart to God, and think of his promise, that he will 
 give his Spirit to them that pray to him for it ! Fortified by 
 godliness, I then encounter temptation with a firm mind, and 
 overcome evil with good. I will, therefore, pray incessantly, 
 and with the reliance of an infant on its parent. For, how 
 often have I not already experienced the sweets which the 
 soul tastes that holds converse with God ! Yet how often, 
 likewise, have I prayed, without being strengthened, without 
 being established in holiness, without becoming valiant in the 
 combat with sin? For prayer availeth much only w r hen it is 
 earnest. Collect now, therefore, my soul, all thy thoughts. 
 Behold, thou standest before the Lord, who proveth the 
 heart, and searcheth into the recesses of the bosom. Those 
 moments which, in this early hour, thou consecratest to God, 
 will sanctify all the hours of the day, and re-enforce thee with 
 might and alacrity in thy temporal welfare. Look around 
 thee, arid see how potent are the allurements of pleasure, how 
 pressing the sins, and how tormenting the cares which thou 
 hast day by day to encounter. What wilt thou oppose to 
 these enemies of thy peace ? How wilt thou ward off their 
 attacks, and secure thy tranquillity ? However firmly thou 
 mayst be resolved not to yield to iniquity, yet not the less 
 shamefully will thy corrupted heart annihilate all thy best pur- 
 poses if the grace of God uphold thee not. Approach, there- 
 fore, the God of omnipotence, in the consciousness of thy 
 imbecility, and entreat him to grant thee that support which 
 thy pious intentions so imperatively require. 
 
 O God ! I live in a world of trial, of sin, and of anxiety. 
 How easily am I vanquished when abandoned to my own 
 force ? Strengthen, strengthen me with thy help, and rejoice 
 me with thy saving health ! Be not far from me when 1 call 
 upon thee, and hide not thy countenance from me when I 
 pray to thee with fervent zeal. Let me not, through the en- 
 
WITH GOD. Ill 
 
 ticemcnts of the lusts, and through the enchantments of sin, 
 be seduced from thy holy society, and forfeit thy grace. 
 Govern me by thy Spirit, and let me proceed under thy guid- 
 ance uninterruptedly in the path of sanctity. Conduct me, 
 O thou God of perfect mercy, successfully through all the 
 temptations of this wicked world, and place me at last in front 
 of the throne of thy glory ! There will I then laud thee in 
 the thanksgiving songs of the full choir of the elect, and, ex- 
 alted above all vice and imperfection, serve thee evermore in 
 innocence and righteousness. 
 
 MARCH 13. 
 
 The Consolation that God is always near vs. 
 
 MY heart's sweetest consolation is the belief that thou, my 
 God, art not far from me that thou knowestme, and kindly 
 takest heed for me. Yea, thou art present to me with thy 
 help and thy grace, otherwise were I nothing. Thou art 
 everywhere, both nigh and at a distance, else would there be 
 neither day nor night. Guarded by thee, I slept in the past 
 hours of darkness, and at thy command this morning I 
 awoke. And shall I not thank thee, thou guardian of man- 
 kind ? Yes; by me be thou adored, thou All-beneficent! 
 Ah ! what am I among thy countless creatures that thou 
 regardest me so graciously, and dost so much good to me 
 beyond others ? And how poor, how weak, are the best 
 thanks which a mortal can pay to thee ! But is then the 
 praise of an angel sufficiently great and exalted, when I com- 
 pare it with the perfections and with the benefits of the 
 Creator ? Still, however unworthy my laudings may be, I 
 yet dare to trust, that thou listenedst well-pleased to the voice 
 of my heart, and considerest not so much the offering itself 
 as the rectitude of mind with which 1 consecrate it to thee. 
 Yet, O ! that I could duly honour thee ! For who is there 
 so great, so infinitely perfect, so inconceivably good as thou 
 art ! But I well comprehend, that while I live here in this 
 imperfect state, I cannot expect the fulfilment of my wish, 
 In heaven, when I shall possess a more extensive knowledge 
 
112 MORNING COMMUNINGS 
 
 of thee, and a wholly sanctified heart, there shall I worship 
 thee more meetly. In the meanwhile, this must continue my 
 endeavour, that so long as I live on earth I may magnify 
 thee rather through my life than through my words. Be it 
 my joy to converse and commune with thee in prayer ; to 
 contemplate thy benefactions ; and in all that I speak, think, 
 or do, to extol thee. According to these sentiments, grant 
 that I may this day live, and hallow it to thy service, and to 
 thy honour. Lord ! guide me by thy Spirit in the right way. 
 Give me grace to turn every hour of the present day to a 
 profitable account, to enjoy it innocently, and in such wise to 
 pass it, as I shall this evening, and yet more at the night-fall 
 of my existence, wish it had been spent. 
 
 From thee, O my God, all that I have proceeds ; from 
 thee, with cheerful reliance, I anticipate all that I can desire, 
 all that I need, and whatever is fitted to render me happy. 
 Vouchsafe to me thy compliance with my petitions for thy 
 Son's, thy beloved's, sake. May his example inspire me, that 
 I may serve thee every day of my life in holiness and right- 
 eousness ! In thy name, thou Sovereign of my life, I com- 
 mence this day. I abandon myself entirely to thy guidance 
 and gracious government. Solemnly do I vow to live to thee 
 alone, and that for thee I will renounce all iniquity. Fur- 
 ther me in this disposition with thy divine succour, and main- 
 tain me now and evermore in thy grace. 
 
 MARCH 14. 
 
 Trust and Faith in the Lord. 
 
 O GOD ! thou who keepest the heart, how blessed is the man 
 in whose spirit there is no deceit ! How confidently can they 
 who have an upright heart rejoice in thee ! For these thy 
 consolations are innumerable and unequivocal, precious, and 
 full of loveliness. Thanks be rendered to thee, O Father of 
 heaven and earth, that through thy Son thou hast unfolded 
 thy will even to the most simple, chough so many of the car- 
 nally wise have rejected it. Receive my thanksgiving, I be- 
 seech thee, that thou hast deemed even me worthy to know 
 
WITH GOD 113 
 
 thy saving doctrine. I P njoy an incalculable pre-eminence 
 over the many millions of men who have been born in ignor- 
 ance and superstition. I have learned the truth of the gos- 
 pel from my youth upwards, and have had numerous oppor- 
 tunities of confirming myself in it. May this good fortune 
 be of more import to me than if thou hadst enriched me with 
 crowns and empires for a birthright ! What would all the 
 splendid misery of the earth indeed avail me, if I could not 
 hope to obtain after this life another and a far better pro- 
 perty? That I know thee, my God and my Saviour, and 
 that I have the expectancy of becoming one day an heir of 
 thy kingdom this is, to me, of incalculably greater interest 
 than anything the world can either give to me or promise me. 
 Therefore shall it be my busiest effort to engraft still deeper 
 and deeper in my heart faith in thee, and in him whom thou 
 hast sent ; and to be faithful to thee, as the Father of mercy 
 and the God of all comfort. Here do thy goodness and thy 
 kindness break in upon me in streams of light. O ! how 
 dear are they to the careworn and to such as are desolate of 
 aid ! How many hearts in the clay-built hut, under heavy 
 losses, in poverty, in the very anguish of death, have been 
 refreshed, and brought to rest through thy gospel ! Yes, when 
 hear thy voice, O Jesus, thou who invitest to thee all who 
 are heavy laden, I take courage, and become more deter- 
 mined and cheerful than all the excitements which the world 
 can bestow could render me. 
 
 How greatly comforts my heart the belief that thou takest 
 cognizance of me, and that I pursue my mortal career under 
 thy Almighty protection ! When soul and body faint, thou 
 art my portion and my trust ; thou art my shepherd, my 
 father, my friend, my shield, my consolation ! I will love 
 thee with all my might. With man there are oft pride and 
 imbecility ; with thee there is nought save humility and love, 
 nought save mastery and intelligence. With man the most 
 ingenuous motive is often misconstrued and condemned ; but 
 thou lookest with approbation into the guiltless breast. I cast 
 myself upon thee, who, through Jesus, art become my re- 
 conciled Father. Thou wilt not disappoint my hope, not even 
 when all trust in human assistance is vain. Verily in the 
 shades of death wilt thou afford me light, and dry up my 
 tears in the decisive crisis of mortality. Thy Son, who was 
 
 I 
 
114 MORNING COMMUNINGS 
 
 himself dragged like a lamb to the slaughter, will also take 
 compassion upon me if I tread in his footsteps. And that 
 Jerusalem which is above will usher me into the fulness of 
 joy ! O ! how glorious is this hope ! How much more does 
 it delight me than though I had in foresight all the wealth 
 and all the felicity of the habitable globe ! I lose myself in 
 the contemplation of thy mercy, O my God ! Eternally, 
 eternally shall my soul be full of thy praise. For everlasting 
 art thou my dependence, my God, and my strength ! How 
 blessed is the man who entrusteth himself to thee ! How 
 blessed is he to whom thou manifested! thy pity ! 
 
 MARCH 15. 
 
 Gratitude for the inestimable Advantages of being born a 
 Christian. 
 
 I PRAISE thee, O Lord God, that thou hast vouchsafed even 
 to me the happiness of being a Christian. I thank thee that 
 thou didst not permit me to be born and live among infidel, 
 barbarous, and savage nations, but among the professors of 
 thy name. I thank thee that thou hast allowed me to be 
 consecrated through baptism to thy worship, and for the in i 
 struction through which I have been trained up to my sacred 
 vocation. I know him in whom I believe, and I know that 
 he who fears God, and does good, is acceptable unto him. I 
 know how holy thy commandments are, and see daily new 
 proofs of their beauty and their purity. I love thy law, O 
 God, and though I have already in so many instances, been 
 caught in transgression, still is my chief desire only this to 
 become well pleasing to thee and to merit thy blessing. But 
 how often does the foolishness of my heart render me unde- 
 serving of thy favour ! how often do I sin against thee, and , 
 feel that I am no more worthy to be called thy child ! O ! then 
 enlighten and amend me through the efficacy of thy Spirit ! 
 The more I perceive the charms of virtue, the more let my 
 heart be inclined to it 5 the longer I practise it, the more easy, 
 the more certain, the more amiable let it appear to me. Let 
 Jesus Christ live in my soul ! Let his spirit become my 
 
WITH GOD. 115 
 
 spirit, his way to glory be also for me a trodden path, in 
 which I may follow with pleasure. Lord, thou knowest that 
 I love thee. Let not, therefore, this love be merely an 
 empty, though sweet, idea; but let me actually show it 
 through the fidelity with which I serve thee, through the 
 zeal with which I publish thy fame, through the cautiousness 
 with which I eschew evil. Aid me to be a Christian, and to 
 do honour to my creed under all circumstances. Let me in so- 
 litude, as well as in society ; in youth, as well as in old age ; 
 among the scorners, as well as among the cherishers of the 
 gospel ; in the days of adversity, as well as in the time of 
 prosperity, walk worthily of that Christian profession to which 
 I am chosen. Let me in body and in soul, in life and in death, 
 be devoted to thee. How attractively do the sufferings 
 which thou hast undergone for me, the example which thou 
 hast left for me, and the promise which thou hast given to 
 me, engage me to these duties ! So will I then, even to-day, 
 labour with the strictest attention to bring about my own im- 
 provement, keeping always before my eyes thy pattern, O my 
 Redeemer ! 
 
 Thus I shall deeply and gratefully acknowledge the hap- 
 piness of being a Christian, and make this lot the object of 
 my diurnal thanksgivings. Thus I shall shame the enemies 
 of the cross of Jesus, and convince them through the fact, 
 more than through all arguments, that a Christian is of all 
 men the wisest, the most virtuous, and the most felicitous. 
 
 MARCH 16. 
 
 Thanks for the Refreshment and Repose of the past Night. 
 
 How many behold the morning ere they have yet found rest. 
 They thought as Job, " Our bed will comfort us;" but they 
 are either rendered languid through dreams and cares, or have 
 tossed about sleepless from their pains. They longed after 
 refreshment, and received it not ! Ah ! do thou, O God of 
 comfort, console this numerous family of misfortune, who are 
 thus constrained to groan at beholding this day ! In thy pre- 
 sence I remember my own unworthiness, and that I as little 
 
116 MORNING COMMUNINGS 
 
 merited as they the refreshing sleep of the past night. Lot 
 me not, Lord, throughout this day forget that thou hast es- 
 pecially loved me in preference to many thousands. Praised 
 be thy goodness and thy faithfulness. O ! that these, thy 
 attributes, might be glorified and adored by all the sick who 
 now feel relief, by all the sorrowful, whose vital spirits have 
 recovered themselves, and by all the healthful and the ani- 
 mated. 
 
 The good man goes to his work in order to become useful 
 to the world ; he wishes not merely to exist and enjoy ; he 
 desires to live, and be worthy of the benefit of life. And I 
 shall I longer delay ? No ; I will hasten and exercise the 
 profession in which the providence of God has cast my lot. 
 How much shall 1 find to do to-day, whereby I may be able 
 to promote the honour of the Lord, and the welfare of society ! 
 Bestow upon me and mine, O God, health and strength, that 
 each of us, according to his capacity, may perform that which 
 thou hast prescribed to him. But, above all, vouchsafe to 
 me, I entreat thee, the power to live in conformity with my 
 higher than earthly destination. If I be mindful of my dig- 
 nity and final appointment, I shall not so far yield up my 
 reason to worldly concerns as to neglect for them the dearer 
 interests of my soul. Teach me to act according to thy will, 
 and to watch with foresight, that I may neither stumble nor 
 fall. 
 
 It is rny heart's desire and vow this day to serve thee 
 anew, and by thee to be approved. I am thy creature, thy re- 
 deemed, and, through Jesus, an inheritor of life everlasting. 
 I am in so many ways thy bankrupt debtor in gratitude, that 
 it would be with me an offence claiming the most condign 
 punishment, were I not willing to devote myself to thee. Let 
 these sentiments remain during the entire day indelibly graven 
 on my soul, and myself be strenuously excited by them to 
 direct my conduct, in implicit obedience to thee as thy child, 
 and an aspirant after heaven in genuine piety. Thus will 
 my life be rendered full of contentment and supremely happy. 
 I shall not then lament because of dissatisfaction and" misery, 
 or strive after possessions that can afford me no real felicity. 
 I shall not have occasion to be alarmed at dangers, nor to be 
 anxious about the future. Everything will conspire for the 
 best, and must of necessity advance that great end which 
 
WITH GOD. 117 
 
 tiou projectedst when thou commandedst me to come forth 
 from the wornb into light. Even the last and most terrible 
 enemy, death, will not affright me, but seem only a means of 
 my eternal joy and blessedness. In this manner I can face 
 every destiny, with a cheerful heart, and continually rejoice 
 in thy kindness. 
 
 MARCH 17. 
 
 The Joys of the Kingdom of Jesus. 
 
 How invaluable are the blessings in which, as the subject of 
 the all-beneficent and omniscient Ruler, I every day partici- 
 pate. In Jesus' kingdom prevail freedom, peace, and bliss : 
 freedom from he servitude of sin, and from the yoke of the 
 passion? ; peace, lasting and undisturbed ; and the bliss of 
 faith, of charity, and hope. In Jesus' kingdom vice has no 
 sway, iniquity no dominion. In Jesus' kingdom reign unin- 
 terrupted unity and unfeigned love ; for all his vassals are 
 children of God, and therefore brethren : all have one faith, 
 one hope, one reliance. In Jesus' kingdom there is no mi- 
 sery and no wailing, no anguish arid no sorrow ; for he 
 mightily defends through his word and Spirit the dwellers of his 
 realm from the wretchedness of guilt, and from the griefs of 
 remorse ; he heals their pains through his pitying tenderness, 
 cheers them in every distress by his promises ; he makes 
 them feel exhilarated and contented, even when they are 
 forced to suffer through the assurance that heaven will fully 
 idemnify them for everything. 
 
 Therefore, it is my pride, my joy, and my boast, to live in 
 this kingdom, and to be a true servant of my Redeemer. 
 Daily will I then ponder on the offices due from me to my 
 generous Master, the faithful Shepherd of his flock ; on the 
 gratitude and fealty which I swore to him when I threw my- 
 self under his sceptre ; on that submission to his sage ordi- 
 nances, through which I am deemed worthy of his protec- 
 tion; on the fidelity which I ought, in all situations of life, 
 to maintain towards him, following his footsteps, and keep- 
 ing his commandments before my eyes during the whole 
 
118 MORNING COMMUNINGS 
 
 course of my existence ; on the veneration whicli belongs to 
 him the Holy One and the Exalted, in obeisance to whom 
 the knees of all shall bow themselves, because God has given 
 him a name which i over all names. Yes, till my heart 
 break will I steadfastly and uprightly revere thee, my King, 
 and my Saviour ; voluntarily submit myself in humility to 
 thy will; and proclaim thy renown, praise thy love, adore 
 thy wisdom. 
 
 MARCH 18. 
 
 The Shortness of Life. 
 
 MYSELF a finite being, I can form no conception of eternity; 
 though I were to add together the most enormous numbers, 
 and heap myriads upon myriads of centuries, still should I 
 have no apprehension of endless time. But even this incom- 
 prehensibleness and unmeasurableness of its duration fill me 
 with sacred awe, and become a spur to me to strive with pa- 
 tience and good works after immortality. Should I not be 
 able immediately to convince myself of the happiness of the 
 righteous, so will I the more frequently consider the testimo- 
 nies of the holy scriptures, and through these seek to obtain 
 for myself greater certainty. Is heaven still to me an un- 
 known land, so will I the more attentively look to my God 
 and my Redeemer, with whom this my celestial portion is. I 
 will consider the great preparatives which Jesus has made to 
 bring me into the possession of it ; I will represent to my 
 heart the inexplicable labours which he undertook to provide 
 for me, a state which cost him so many sighs and tears, and 
 so bitter a death. How prodigious must that felicity be, 
 which the Lord himself could acquire for 'me only through 
 so grievous a struggle ! 
 
 Does the time linger tediously to me ere I shall arrive at 
 the goal of my race, then must my soul, by anticipation, 
 transport itself into this everlasting eternity. When I shall 
 yonder have spent a million years and this must one day be 
 the case O ! how small and insignificant a period will the 
 most protracted mortal existence appear! Yet it is not once 
 necessary that I should expatiate so far into the future in or- 
 
WITH GOD. 119 
 
 der to be persuaded of the shortness of my life. I need only 
 bethink me how speedily have fled the years which I have 
 already lived. I need only reflect how many of my fellow- 
 mortals will this day reach the boundary of their earthly ca- 
 reer, and sink into the grave. Arid perhaps I, who least 
 imagine it, am also one of the multitude who shall this day 
 be devoted to the sepulchre. My sound body warrants to me 
 no surety that I shall outlive the present day. Many who 
 awake this morning as healthy as I am will never see the 
 evening ! Do I not, from time to time feel certain disorders 
 and infirmities in my constitution, which give me silent 
 warnings that 1 ought with very little dependence to promise 
 myself a long series of years to come ? O ! how can I ac- 
 knowledge all this, and yet be so full of frivolity, yet cling so 
 fast to temporal advantages ? 
 
 But so is the weakness of my heart ordered. All my con- 
 victions of the nearness of death make only a feeble impression 
 on my soul. I am encompassed by mortals, I am even sen- 
 sible that I myself am mortal, and yet I act as though I had 
 no reason to contemplate my latter end with seriousness. I 
 prize my respite as little as though I expected here in this 
 world an eternity. 
 
 Stamp then these truths indelibly upon my mind, that I 
 may at length become wise. Teach me to recollect "that this 
 life is nothing, and the next everything. Quicken my faith, 
 that those things which are invisible to my corporeal eye may 
 be visible to my spirit, and that in comparison with them I 
 may despise whatever is visible on earth. Let my heart be 
 there where my incorruptible treasures are laid up, and thither 
 let me direct all my cares and endeavours that it may be well 
 with me for ever. 
 
 MARCH 19. 
 
 The Different Effects of God's Universal Presence and 
 Universal Knowledge as they regard the Good and the Im- 
 pious Man. 
 
 THAT God is omnipresent and omniscient is a frightful thought 
 for those who do the works of darkness, flow must the 
 
120 MORNING COMMUNINGS 
 
 profligate tremble when he reflects that God sees the abomi- 
 nation which is committed in privacy ; that before him all 
 iniquities are disclosed, however they may remain concealed 
 from the eyes of men ! How must he be confounded when 
 he considers that God knows by what crooked ways, and by 
 what unprincipled means he has erected himself to eminence ; 
 that the Lord beholds the hidden malice, the impure flames, 
 the secret lusts, and the inmost speculations of his heart ! 
 And when he then considers that this God, to whom all the 
 criminality of the guilty bosom lies revealed, has unlimited 
 power to make blessed, or to render accursed, and that no man 
 can flee from his wrath O ! how must the sinner shudder at 
 the idea ! 
 
 But, however terrible the consideration of the universal 
 presence and universal knowledge of the Deity must be to the 
 wicked, equally consolatory is it for thee, who walkest with 
 fear and holiness before the face of the Almighty ! Consola- 
 tory is it for thee, in all that may disturb thee. Art thou 
 slandered or uncharitably judged? How delightful it is 
 when thou art able to say, with Job, " My witness is in hea- 
 ven!" Art thou oppressed with difficulties, wherein thou 
 knowest not how to counsel thyself? Art thou abandoned 
 by thy friends, and findest no help ? What a comfort is it 
 when thou rememberest that in thy God thou hast the 
 stanchest friend, and one who never will forsake thee! 
 When calamities pour in upon thee, on every side, how 
 soothing it is to thy distressed feelings, if thou canst tran- 
 quillize thyself with this conviction, that he in whose hands 
 both fortune and misfortune are placed, and who orders all 
 things for the welfare of his children, is near thee ! When 
 thou callest in secret on thy God, O ! how must it confirm 
 thee in thy faith, when thou recollecteth that he hath regard 
 to thy prayer, and understandeth the inmost sighings of thy 
 heart ! When thou unknown to the world sympathizest with 
 the destitute, how must it rejoice thee, that God observes thy 
 unostentatious benevolence, and numbers the benefits which 
 thou scatterest in silence ! When, given over by all human 
 skill, thou shalt one day lie extended on the bed of fatal ma- 
 lady, how easy then also must thy transition out of life be 
 rendered to thee, when thou art assured that God and Jesus 
 are beside thee, that they behold thy struggles in nature's ir- 
 
WITH GOD. 121 
 
 remediable extinction, and are ready to relieve thee from all 
 ill ! Now, Lord God, vouchsafe to me the grace, that I may 
 appertain to that happy company who are able to comfort 
 themselves and rejoice in thy attributes, and whom the 
 thought affrights not, that thou art not far distant from every 
 one of us. May a holy terror of thy continual presence be 
 made to penetrate me, when sin attacks me with its wiles and 
 enchantments ! But be this thy diffusion through all space 
 likewise my trust and my hope under all the adversities of 
 life. Art thou for me, who shall be against me ? Art thou 
 at my right hand, then I shall continue well. 
 
 MARCH 20. 
 
 God's Glory, Greatness, and Mercy. 
 
 GOD of Majesty ! thy glory covereth all the ends of the earth, 
 and spreadeth itself through all the heaven of heavens. I 
 contemplate thy supremacy with reverence and adoration, 
 and the more I meditate upon it, the more I perceive its in- 
 comprehensibleriess and its boundlessness. O ! how can I, 
 grovelling in the dust, honour thee, since even the angels are 
 too mean to praise the immensity of thy domination accord- 
 ing to its desert ! How noble hast thou made thy name in 
 the universe! So many thousands of worlds, which thou hast 
 called forth; so many millions of creatures, which are the 
 works of thy hands ; so many miracles of skill and goodness, 
 with which the globe is replenished, testify thy wisdom and 
 declare thy excellence ! And I myself, vile and wretched as 
 I am, I am an evidence of thy power, and a subject of thy 
 exaltation. In me, who am of so small account, hast thou 
 enlarged thy fame. In me thy kindness magnified itself, 
 while I was yet unformed; ere yet I received my being was 
 thy mercy employed for my welfare. I entered into the 
 world, and thou commenced for me the epoch, wherein every 
 day, every hour, every moment, became distinguished 
 through thy governance. Now thus long have I inhabited 
 the earth, and thy goodness and thy compassion ever endure 
 over me. I see days elapse and years take flight, yet thy 
 
122 MORMNG COMMUNINGS 
 
 mercy passes not away, but is every day renewed. Every 
 rising sun, which publishes to me the vastness of thy empire, 
 publishes also to me the inexhaustible resources of thy ten- 
 derness, which supplies life and breath to all creatures. My 
 existence too hast thou maintained till this instant. There- 
 fore do I worship thee in this hour of dawn, and sing forth 
 thy name, which is so wondrous and glorious. Lord, to 
 whom all the hosts of the skies pay homage, listen also to me, 
 the humblest of thy creatures, and let the voice of my suppli- 
 cation find thy attentive ear! 
 
 Magnify thyself, as thou hast hitherto done, still longer in 
 me. O ! who else can bless me, watch me, guide me, enrich 
 me 'with grace, save thou, benignant, omnipotent, merciful 
 Father ? Turn not, therefore, away from me thy pity, nor 
 deprive me of the comforting thought that thou art propi- 
 tious to me. Render me fitting to glorify thee in all things. 
 Through my whole life, through my conversation, through 
 my sufferings, arid even through my death itself, will I exalt 
 thee, O thou the Holy and the Good ! Make me likewise 
 an instrument of thy glory to others, and let me desire no- 
 thing so earnestly as that thy name may be always more and 
 more sanctified, and thy kingdom further and further ex- 
 tended. To this purpose let me devote all the opportunities 
 which thou grantest to me, and employ all the faculties both 
 of my body and my soul. Thus shall I arrive at the dignity 
 of being held worthy by thee to be accepted into thy eternal 
 kingdom. Take me thither, O God of all mercy, for the 
 sake of Jesus, my Saviour, through whom is my claim to 
 this grace ! 
 
 MARCH 21. 
 
 The Christian Pilgrim entreats the Saviour to Lead him on 
 his Way 
 
 LORD, my God, I enter again upon a new day of my journey 
 to eternity. Thou hast placed me as a pilgrim in the world, 
 where I am not always to remain, but only to make myself 
 ready for a better life. How sorrowful am I often, when I 
 
WITH GOD. 123 
 
 consider the difficulty of my passage, the disagreeableness 
 of the way, the corruption of my heart, and the weakness 
 of my faculties ! How easily may it happen that I shall 
 fall into error, and lose sight of the home to which I hasten ! 
 Ah ! how many who before me have pursued this path, have 
 allowed themselves to be induced by its asperities, and the 
 example of the ungodly, to return back ! And I fear, since 
 my heart is so weak, and the temptation to evil so strong, 
 that I also may decline from the track which I ought to keep. 
 But, O Jesus, thou who wast likewise a pilgrim on earth, 
 stay by my side, and let me not swerve from the path which 
 is prescribed to me, into the way of sin and misery. The 
 deceits of the world may entice me ! I will withstand them 
 by thinking of the blessings that are prepared for me as thy 
 follower. The great multitude may become false to thee ! 
 I will be among the small number of thy faithful wor- 
 shippers. My own heart may seduce me ! Thou art more 
 powerful than my spoiled heart, and thy example more effi- 
 cacious than all the lusts of the world. The valley of death, 
 through which I walk, may affright me ! Let me only be- 
 hold behind it a glimpse of that city of which I shall one 
 day be the eternal inhabitant, and my courage will no longer 
 fail. 
 
 Truly I shall not always be a passing stranger. My wan- 
 derings will at last have an end: I shall arrive at that country 
 of my own, which is destined to me in heaven. On this let 
 me reflect, if ever the duration of my pilgrimage should 
 appear long to me, and with this prospect let me cheer my- 
 self under all the cares of existence, that I may even here 
 through belief in thee, O Christ, enj^y a portion of my ce- 
 lestial prerogative. Here I am already blessed. I feel here 
 already a part of that felicity which shall afterwards, above, 
 recompense my efforts and my perseverance. May the love 
 of the Father, and the grace of Jesus Christ, and the fel- 
 lowship of the Holy Ghost strengthen me ! I experience 
 already on earth the effects of the divine approbation, and 
 the consolation of the world to come. 
 
 Fortified by these views I will steadfastly proceed during 
 the few days of my remaining time in the path of trial and 
 self-denial, and constantly exercise myself in those duties 
 which will hereafter constitute my occupation and my joy. 
 
MORNING COMMUNINGS 
 
 Be my course, my desire, my hope, and my pleasure in 
 heaven ! Dear to me above all shall be the blessings and 
 the privileges which thou, my Saviour, hast obtained for me, 
 and never will I forfeit them through faithlessness towards 
 thy sacred commandment, or through indolence in the work 
 of self-amendment. Grant that through humility and love 
 I may become like to Jesus ! And then, when I am at the 
 close of my course, then conduct me, O God, as a denizen 
 of thy kingdom, to that most perfect fruition of bliss which 
 my faith has anticipated. 
 
 MARCH 22. 
 
 God's 'Beneficence beyond all Recompense. 
 
 IF I reflected as zealously on the kindness of God as David 
 did, then should I under all, even the apparently smallest 
 evidences of the graciousness of my Creator, exclaim with 
 the monarch-bard : " How shall I recompense the Lord for 
 all the benefits which he doth to me ? " Besides, on a careful 
 consideration of my life, I shall find everywhere the memo- 
 rials of the divine munificence; and if 1 do not always meet 
 with them in equal abundance, it is only my own inattention, 
 my own w r ant of feeling, and my own ingratitude, that are 
 in fault. No moment elapses in which I do not receive 
 proofs of the bountifulness of my God. And though to his 
 benevolence I owed nothing more than the preservation of 
 my ac h, even this seemingly trivial favour deserves my 
 endless thanks. But when can I call to mind a single hour 
 which was void of the beneficence of my God ? Even in 
 regard to this brief division of time I am forced to cry out : 
 " How can I recompense the Lord for all the benefits which 
 he doth to me?" And what shall I say of the days, of the 
 years, which I have already lived ? Lord, this only can I 
 answer, that I am unworthy of the faithfulness which thou 
 hast evinced towards me, and that I cannot repay thee the 
 multitude of thy favours. 
 
 For with what, O Lord, could I make a return to thee for 
 thy mercies? With my thanks, perhaps! Yes, if iuy 
 
WITH GOD. 125 
 
 thanks could be as boundless, as ardent as thy love. With 
 my conduct, perhaps ! Yes, if I were not a sinful and cor- 
 rupted being, that without thy support cannot live according 
 to thy pleasure. Perhaps it will be in eternity, when I be- 
 come like to the angels, that I shall do justice to thy num- 
 berless benefactions. But even eternity is too short to extol 
 all thy goodness, and the praise of the angels too weak per- 
 fectly to glorify thy name. All the inhabitants, both of 
 heaven and earth, must each make confession, and say : 
 " How shall I recompense the Lord for all the benefits he 
 does to me ? " I also will acknowledge this my inability for 
 the exaltation of thy goodness, and, imitating Job, confess : 
 " Lord, I am too vile for all the mercy and truth which thou 
 hast manifested to thy servant." 
 
 There is, indeed, no fact more unquestionable than the 
 immensity of God's goodness, and the inferiority of man. 
 Yet, if we regard the behaviour of the greater part of mor- 
 tals, we might almost doubt of its reality. A large portion 
 of these, through God's mercy, so highly-favoured creatures, 
 permit themselves to be so far seduced by pride, and the 
 ingratitude of their hearts, that they forget their dependence 
 on the Deity, and their own meanness and insufficiency, and 
 would even defy the Lord that made them. For this reason 
 will I ever imprint more and more deeply on my heart, how 
 undeserving I am of all the testimonies of God's gracious- 
 ness, and how unable I am to offer remuneration even for 
 the least of them. But do thou thyself, O God, engrave 
 these sentiments on my soul, that their impression may al- 
 ways continue to maintain a lively influence over me. At 
 every benefit which I receive from thee, let me, moved by 
 thy goodness, look up to thee as the origin of all my pros- 
 perity, and with humility and thankfulness enjoy thy gifts. 
 And the more I perceive how little I am in a situation to 
 requite thy love, the more zealous let me be in thy service. 
 How could I deny thee the offering which thou requirest for 
 thy favours ? How should I not rather with gladness sacri- 
 fice to thee all that I have and all that I am, and praise 
 thee both by my body and my spirit, which are alike thy 
 property ? 
 
126 MORNING COMMUNINGS 
 
 MARCH 23. 
 
 Mourning over his numerous Transgressions, the Christian 
 supplicates the further Indulgence of his God. 
 
 ALAS ! O God, thou offended Majesty, thou Omnipotent 
 and Omniscient Judge ! What else has my life hitherto 
 been, save one continued scene of opposition and rebellion 
 against thee ? It is not this or that particular deed which I 
 must now bewail : all my motives, ways, and views, both in 
 what I have done and left undone, have been sinful. My 
 whole soul has been iniquity and unrighteousness. All my 
 thoughts, affections, wishes, and endeavours, all, to my great 
 sorrow, have been entirely estranged from thee. I have 
 acted no otherwise than as if I had hated thee, though of all 
 beings thou art the most worthy of love. I have conducted 
 myself as if I had wished to try thy exceeding patience to 
 the uttermost. My actions have been sinful, and my words 
 still more so. And, O most holy God, how much more cor- 
 rupt is my heart than either my actions or my words ! What 
 an exhaustless source of folly and perverseness is this fickle 
 heart ! a source of inherent perdition, which has already 
 poured its impure streams over the years of my infancy, and 
 over my whole life. Thus I see it is with me, when I con- 
 sider those things which I am yet able to remember. But 
 how many of my sins have I myself not once remarked ? 
 how many have I already forgotten ? Only this I know, 
 that the corruption of my heart is extreme, and nearly irre- 
 mediable. 
 
 And yet thy long-suffering hath not ceased! The thought 
 strikes me with admiration ! I search after the cause of such 
 inconceivable forbearance, and find none except this : " Thou 
 art God, and not man." Had I, a wicked mortal, been so 
 cruelly wronged, I could not possibly have endured my inju- 
 ries, for so a great a period, with composure. Had I been a 
 parent, and thus treated, long since should I have driven 
 forth Jie undutiful child ; my natural affections would have 
 been extinguished within me, and my son, the offspring of 
 his cherished mother, would ere now have become loathsome 
 to my sight, had he not rewarded me better than I have done 
 
WITH GOD. 127 
 
 thee, thou Father of my soul. Yet, thou hast remembered 
 thy wonted indulgence, and hast not pronounced against me 
 the irrevocable sentence of damnation. Still, perhaps, there 
 is hope remaining even for a wretch so iniquitous as I am. 
 O Lord, let me find it in thy sacred gospel, and in thy grace. 
 And if more grief, humiliation, and terror be requisite for 
 my rescue, so let them come upon me, and do thou aid me 
 to bear them. Affright my heart, if thou wilt hereafter re- 
 joice it. Trouble it with afflictions, if thou art only so gra- 
 cious as again, likewise, to comfort it. But I will not pre- 
 scribe to thee how thou shalt operate upon my heart. Do 
 thou, O Lord, according to thy wise pleasure. All that thou 
 layest upon me shall be precious to me. Only banish me 
 not out of thy presence, nor take thy good Spirit away from 
 me. Accompany me yet this day with thy paternal love, 
 and thy forgiving mildness, and still seek to snatch my soul 
 out of the destruction in which it is overwhelmed. And if 
 thou in the vastness of thy mercy workest for my reforma- 
 tion, then grant me a willing mind, that opposes not itself to 
 thy efforts. Let me constantly recollect that which most 
 conduces to my peace, and with holy prudence employ the 
 term of my education for heaven. 
 
 MARCH 24. 
 
 Mans Frailty magnifies God's Compassion. 
 
 WHAT indeed am I I, a poor helpless, perishable mortal 
 when I compare myself with God's immeasurable creation ? 
 How completely do I lose myself in my nothingness, and 
 how deeply is my pride wounded and abashed ! A worm, 
 a handful of dust and ashes, that can scarcely resist the 
 gentlest wind, and is yet often so foolish as to set itself up 
 against its Creator. And still, infinite, incomprehensible God, 
 thou concernest thyself for me as thy greatest work. Thy 
 almighty hand, which maintains in motion those orbs of in- 
 calculable vastness which roll above me in the regions of 
 space, supports me also. Thy providence, O God, which 
 regulates the destinies of the widest empires, orders likewise 
 
1'28 MORNING COMMUNINGS 
 
 the course of my events. Ah ! wherefore dost thou so gra- 
 ciously condescend towards me, who am only a shadow, a 
 mere nonentity ? Wherefore art thou so solicitous for the 
 welfare of an insect ? Wherefore bearest thou with me for so 
 many years with patience ? What gainest thou if my soul 
 is preserved ? Thou becomest neither higher nor happier. 
 What losest thou if I sink into perdition ? O nought, my 
 Maker and my God ! Though I, though all mankind, go to 
 destruction, yet still will the population of thy kingdom em- 
 brace countless myriads, who throughout all eternities shall 
 . proclaim thy mighty deeds and thy power. 
 
 Pause, O my soul, and look with astonishment and awe 
 into the depths of the mercy of God ! Love, inconceivable 
 love it is, that moves the Everlasting to regard me, and make 
 me a participator of his blessedness. That blood of the Son 
 of God, through which my atonement has been accomplished, 
 gives me assurance that I am beloved of the Father, and may 
 expect from him a place in heaven. The Lord is good and 
 holy, and his ways are pure kindness and truth to them that 
 keep his covenant and testimony. The Lord be praised, that 
 he governs not according to my imagination, but according 
 to his own wisdom : that he deals not with me after my sins, 
 but according to his mercy. I admire, O my God, with humi- 
 lity and joy, thy sacred counsel to promote my happiness, and 
 am astonished at the magnitude of thy pity. It is inexplicable, 
 that thou, eternal God, shouldst invite me to thy heaven, who 
 am so feeble and so full of sins and vanities ; but it would be 
 yet more extraordinary, should I slightly rate this compas- 
 sion, and despise that heaven which thou offerest to me. 
 
 No, with heartfelt emotion do I acknowledge thy kind pur- 
 poses, and will henceforth strive faithfully to fulfil them. 
 Thou stretchest out to me thy arms ; 1 will rush towards 
 them, and yield myself to be grasped by them. Thou drawest 
 me towards thee ; I will follow thy soft attraction. Thou 
 presentest heaven to me : I will hasten thither and despise the 
 earth. Jesus, my Lord and my God ! aid me to become 
 worthy of the felicity which thy death has conquered for me. 
 
WITH GOD 129 
 
 MARCH 25. 
 
 The Salvation of his Soul the only truly important Object of a 
 Christian's Solicitude. 
 
 I LIVE in a world with which nature, my duty, and my ne- 
 cessities connect me. But how probable is it that this con- 
 stant intercourse with terrestrial objects may render me earthly- 
 minded ! How easily may I forget that this sphere is not 
 my perpetual abode, nor my final destination ! How easily 
 may the appearance of the delight, the grandeur, and the ex- 
 cellence which my senses think to find here deceive me ! I 
 see this daily exemplified in many thousands of my fellow- 
 mortals, who permit themselves to be beguiled by carnal 
 advantages, and led away from their true happiness. I will 
 not therefore venture a step into this world without confessing 
 my frailty, and taking my refuge under God's protection. I 
 desire none of thy treasures, O earth : let but my soul, the 
 salvation of my soul, not be lost ! If I gain the whole uni- 
 verse, and lose my soul, what would the possession avail me 
 in the hour of death, before the tribunal of Jesus, in eter- 
 nity ? For the sake of a fleeting gratification, am I to ruin 
 my lasting inward peace? For the sake of the mastership 
 of the globe itself, should I relinquish heaven ? What mad- 
 ness were this ! 
 
 No, I will not act so contrarily to reason. No, I will 
 always remember the high dignity of my soul, and only 
 choose those things which are deserving of the desires of an 
 immortal spirit. Should I even lose all else, yet if I save my 
 soul, 1 am sufficiently rich. How trivial are the things which 
 I must renounce in following Jesus ! To perceive their in- 
 significancy, I need not stay for the bed of death to instruct 
 me. I need only feel what it is to be sure of the forgiveness 
 of my sins, to be at peace with God, to have a good con- 
 science, and to be convinced of the certainty of my salvation ; 
 for then these benefits will not fail to appear so great to me, 
 that in comparison I shall deem all the glory of the earth as 
 dust. And what would not sinners give to regain these pri- 
 vileges, after they have forfeited them ? Though they swayed 
 whole worlds, they would abandon them all to rescue their 
 souls. K 
 
130 MORNING COMMUNINGS 
 
 I may still preserve my soul ; I still live. O then let it 
 be my most assiduous care how I may ensure its safety amid 
 the temptations of this perilous existence. How easily may 
 it happen that I shall even this day bring eternal perdition 
 upon my soul ? O God, defend me from this misery ! Let 
 the grace and the power of thy Spirit be more potent than all 
 the corruption of my heart. All temporal endowments which 
 are essential to my good, thou, O God, wilt vouchsafe to me. 
 If I only maintain the health of my soul, for me all thy ways 
 will be blessed, all sufferings salutary, and death itself a bene- 
 faction. I shall then likewise so much the more tranquilly 
 enjoy all the pleasures of my life, and be able to hold myself 
 assured, under their transitoriness, of this consolation, that bet- 
 ter and more permanent felicity is in store for me in eternity. 
 
 MARCH 26. 
 
 The Blessings of Religion and its Claims. 
 
 To religion I owe my entire worth, my whole happiness. 
 In vain do I seek any other source of contentment, of repose, 
 of greatness, of glory, of virtue, and of prosperity. Were 
 it possible that the God whom I adore, and the Redeemer in 
 whom I believe, could be taken away from me, I should be 
 like a man hurled from a kingly throne into a gloomy dun- 
 geon ; life would be a torment to me, and death frightful and 
 hideous. Of the truth of this idea I am most strongly per- 
 suaded. But do I also act according to this conviction ? Do 
 I love religion more than all the riches and all the fortune of 
 the earth ? Do I herein put my honour and my felicity, to 
 revere God and hold fast the faith in Christ ? What ? if on 
 one side crowns and jewels are offered to me, and on the other 
 the cross of Jesus stood in view, should I hasten to the latter 
 and spurn the former? If I ingenuously consider my con- 
 duct, alas ! I must give a very humiliating answer to this 
 question. I recognise, I confess, the extreme value of my 
 faith ; but I live as if I had not any. I perceive the sublime 
 tendency of my spirit to wisdom and holiness ; yet I act as 
 if it were a mere fantasy. But, O Christian, I conjure thee 
 
WITH GOD. 131 
 
 by this precious soul, by this so inestimable creed, begin to 
 grow wiser and more righteous. Bestir thyself for the sal- 
 vation of thy immortal part. For it is impossible to suppose 
 that its acquittal or condemnation can be indifferent to thee. 
 On this globe thou wilt never be able to ensure to thyself hap- 
 piness. "Neither human wisdom, nor incredulity, with all its 
 sophistical reasonings, will advance thee in the way to heaven. 
 Religion alone presents to thee in this endeavour her assist- 
 ance; she alone can lead thee into the possession of the 
 supreme good. Dost thou acknowledge this verity, so wilt 
 thou regard religion as the first object in the world, thou wilt 
 hold it in honour as the greatest, and thou wilt prize it as the 
 most costly. Desire for thyself above all things the happiness 
 of continuing to be a Christian, and then strive to walk wor- 
 thily of the same, and to own thy Redeemer before the face of 
 all mankind. 
 
 Adorable Saviour! replenish me, I beseech thee, with 
 these godly sentiments, and endue me with grace, that I may 
 even this day make them indeed manifest on all occasions. 
 May I never dishonour, through my actions, thy sacred doc- 
 trine and thy divine merits, or through my behaviour give 
 others pretence to defile thy name. In all things, in my 
 service of God, in my profession, in my intercourse with my 
 brethren, in life and in death, I will glorify thy love, through 
 a conscientious and pious demeanour. If I retain this dis- 
 position, thou wilt afford me sufficient opportunities of pro- 
 moting thy honour even in others. I shall then at the close 
 of my pilgrimage be able to look back with satisfaction on 
 my past days, and eventually, depart into that world where 
 religion, which was here my comfort, will constitute my per- 
 petual joy. 
 
 MARCH 27. 
 
 God addressed as the Searcher of the Heart. 
 
 I KNOW, O my God, that thou pro vest the heart. Thou 
 hast no pleasure in my prayer, when my heart is far from 
 thee : no delight in the thanks-offering which I devote to 
 
132 MORNING COMMUNINOS 
 
 thee, when I do not present it with sincerity. Omniscient : 
 I am riot rightly acquainted with myself. My passions 
 often conceal from me the evil which is in me, and my self- 
 love hinders me from regarding myself on the proper side. 
 But thou, thou searchest the heart. To thee my most secret 
 purposes, my inmost thoughts are revealed. And how shall 
 I then uphold myself under thy searching? How can a 
 heart which is so cold, so changeable, so prone to wicked- 
 ness, and so little fond of truth, be agreeable to thee? Ah ! I 
 flee to thee, my Jesus ; on thy lips and in thy bosom never 
 has deceit been found. Atone through thy righteousness 
 for my falsehood, and purify me from whatever may be dis- 
 pleasing to the Lord. Let thy example and thy grace 
 render me upright and sincere both before God and man ; 
 sincere in my faith in thee, that I may not confess thee solely 
 by my expressions, but by my life likewise ; sincere in all 
 ihe exercises of Christianity, that I may become acceptable 
 to the Deity. 
 
 To be acceptable to the Deity ! What honour ! What 
 happiness ! How anxiously do the children of the world 
 strive to be acceptable even to such creatures as they them- 
 selves are ! With what earnestness do they not labour to 
 make themselves agreeable to their patrons, and to obtain 
 the certainty of their approbation ! My efforts and my am- 
 bition shall be to please thee, O my God, and to walk before 
 thee in rectitude both of word and deed. Be this my care 
 amidst the concerns of the present day. When I lift up to 
 thee my hands and my heart, O ! then will I worship thee 
 in simplicity and truth, and fulfil the vow which I make to 
 thee. And in my connexion likewise with my fellow-men, 
 be distant from me all craft and hypocrisy. Not in form but 
 in reality will I love my brethren. Even to myself will I 
 act candidly, and tacitly own the faults which I have still 
 in me, that I may see my heart in its true light, should self- 
 presumption at any time flatter me. 
 
 Thou, O God, knowest rny heart. Try me, therefore, and 
 learn what my purposes are. And if now in this hour of 
 the early morning, I resolve upon uprightness and integrity, 
 do thou thyself bestow energy upon my intentions, and let 
 me be as ready to execute, as I am to plan them. Let me 
 walk before thee in perfect singleness of mind, and detest 
 

 WITH GOD. 
 
 all those guileful sentiments, which I cannot hide from thee, 
 and which are an abomination in thy sight. Thu shall I 
 also be able to assure myself of the love of mankind, and, 
 what to me must be most dear, thou wilt look down upon me 
 with gracious satisfaction, and iimid the numerous necessities 
 and errors to which I am exposed, mark the integrity of my 
 heart, and out of thy mercy reward it. 
 
 MARCH 28. 
 
 The earthly Happiness of the Pious infinitely superior to 
 that of the Votaries of the World. 
 
 WHETHER I consider the degree or the duration of the hap- 
 piness of a Christian, I find it in all respects inestimable : 
 but when I compare it with the happiness of those who love 
 the world better than God, its value appears to me yet more 
 enhanced. While they who are forgetful of God, attain, 
 after long and difficult efforts, to a momentary felicity, which 
 is again immediately exchanged for dissatisfaction, disgust, 
 and remorse, the Christian, undisturbed and uninterrupted, 
 can possess his good fortune without fearing any of these 
 vicissitudes. While the former mark the daily diminution of 
 their supposed happiness with affright, and have no consola- 
 tion, when the lust of the world passes away every day, 
 every moment presents to the Christian new treasures of 
 enjoyment. When the most prosperous of those who have 
 dedicated their hearts to the world, find in futurity cause to 
 be troubled and concerned, the Christian, as he looks for- 
 ward to the time to come, beholds multiplied delights, which 
 their perpetuity augments beyond measure. In a word, 
 the Christian alone is of all men the most satisfied and the 
 happiest. 
 
 God has so disposed everything as to enable even me to 
 arrive at this dignity, and at this happiness. To instruct me 
 in this blessedness, Jesus entered into the world ; to obtain 
 it for me he became the lowest among the sons of men ; and 
 finally to elevate me to this state of superiority all his pre- 
 cepts and all his efforts tend. And how should I longer 
 
134 MORNING COMMUN1NGS 
 
 regard this happiness without emotion ? How could I be 
 so foolish as to select instead of it the vain imaginary felicity 
 of the earth ? I perceive daily how nugatory are all mun- 
 dane joys and gratifications. The world is faithless ; its 
 love is unstable ; its pleasures are mingled with pain ; its 
 treasures are perishable ; its dignities are degrading ; and its 
 hopes are uncertain ! These are conclusions which every 
 day teaches me. And shall I then act so inconsiderately as 
 to abandon my happiness to such a vain and delusive depen- 
 dence. No, I will behave more wisely in regard to rny real 
 welfare, and employ the experience which I have obtained 
 of the inconstancy and futility of all terrestrial good in 
 striving after those celestial advantages which are prepared 
 for me above. There I shall find the most ample indemni- 
 fication for all that here, out of love to God, or for the sake 
 of my conscience, I renounce and lose. 
 
 Bend hither, O my soul, all thy hopes and wishes. Ever 
 assuredly convince thyself that thou art destined to a more 
 important heritage than any this world can bestow upon 
 thee, and labour with zeal to obtain it. Its acquirement will 
 diffuse real tranquillity and joy over all thy days, arid greatly 
 comfort thee under the exigencies of the present life. Thou 
 wilt then learn to moderate thy desires, and to be contented 
 with whatever the provident governance of God may impart 
 to thee. Under all the perplexing accidents of thy existence, 
 thou wilt never let thy courage sink, but cheer thyself with 
 the anticipation of the happiness of heaven. Strengthened 
 by the sure prospect of this heavenly portion, thou wilt 
 moreover calmly contemplate the end of thy mortal course, 
 and feel that, both living and dying, there is no man so 
 happy as the Christian. 
 
 MARCH 29. 
 
 God's Holiness and Righteousness. 
 
 A NEW morning again calls me to occupations which have 
 my eternal weal for their aim. A being created for eternity 
 ought, during his whole course on earth, to have his eternal 
 

 WITH GOD. 135 
 
 destiny before his eyes. O God, thou who art thyself infi- 
 nite intelligence, incline my heart, which desires wholly to 
 devote itself to thee, to this perfect wisdom. Thou alone 
 canst give knowledge and understanding ; and to fear thee, 
 is the summit of knowledge. 
 
 Just God! how great a dread of thee agitates my soul, 
 when I consider thy holiness and righteousness ! Lord, 
 enter not into judgment with thy servant ; for before thee no 
 man is justified ! If only as a bondman, as a deeply indebted 
 bondman, I were constrained to fear thee, this fear, when I 
 recollected the end of my days, would not lead me to wisdom 
 but plunge me into despair. Yet, praised be thou, O God, 
 thou requires! not from me such slavish fear. I am to fear 
 thee, and in Jesus I dare do so with a filial fear. This is my 
 Saviour, who has made satisfaction to thy equity, who has 
 suffered the righteous for the unrighteous, he it is who has 
 become to me instead of wisdom : he renders me thy child, 
 and teaches me also, by his example, so worthy of imitation, 
 to fear thee like a child, and to walk in the way of eternity, 
 which he himself has made plain for me. O Jesus, my guide, 
 my wisdom, thou art mine, thou teachest me faith and godli- 
 ness as the means prosperously to obtain my goal ; and thy 
 Spirit disposes rne to use those means. Through the efficacy 
 of this divine Spirit I am enabled to fear God as a child, and 
 this fear makes me wise to salvation. 
 
 I belong by nature to the short-sighted, who can of them- 
 selves so little avoid evil, that they are even ignorant of the 
 true good. Even thou, my Jesus, must open my under- 
 standing, if I am eyer to escape error and sin. Withdraw 
 not this day thy Holy Spirit from me. Through its influ- 
 ence instruct me to entertain those sentiments which are right 
 and commendable, and to venerate thy presence with sacred 
 awe in all my doings. Amid all the avocations of the pass- 
 ing day, my soul must be mindful of the grand aim at which 
 it ought to aspire, and of its celestial calling, in order that 
 no earthly care, no business of life, obscure it from my sight. 
 Illuminate my mind, correct my will, that all I do I may 
 perform with the view to please the Lord ; and that I may pre- 
 serve myself from everything, through which I might have 
 reason to apprehend the loss of his parental love. Thus shall 
 I possess that wisdom which consists in the fear of the AL 
 
136 MORNING COMMUNINGS 
 
 mighty; thus shall I have the understanding to flee from wick- 
 edness ; thus shall I be able in the approaching evening to 
 look back with contentment at my day's work, and to sup- 
 plicate thee for thy further favours without the bitterness of 
 remorse : then shall I have gained another day for eternity. 
 
 And how much more precious is this gain than aught that 
 the world can bestow upon me ! How much more blessed is 
 thy grace, O Lord God, than all the approbation of men I 
 
 MARCH 30. 
 
 Contemplation of Death. 
 
 I ALSO shall one day be compelled to obey the common law 
 of humanity. I also shall earlier or later experience that 
 I am no better than my forefathers. Of me also, if I 
 am not snatched suddenly away, it shall be said, " He was 
 sick, and his disease appertained unto death." I also shall 
 one day behold those who are most dear to me surrounding 
 my couch with weeping eyes ; and well will it then be for me, 
 if religion strengthen me under the regrets of separation 
 A space some few hands broad will soon with me limit all 
 those purposes and designs which render the days of man so 
 full of toilsome sweat, and his nights so broken with disquie- 
 tude. A few spadefuls of earth will cover me, my whole 
 height and greatness. A few perhaps grateful tears will be 
 all that I shall carry with me ; all else must I abandon : for 
 me the world has disappeared ; it takes all back that I re- 
 ceived from it, and yields np my name to oblivion. And if 
 thou knowest this, my soul, why shouldst thou sacrifice thy 
 most precious years to a world so vain and fleeting? Break 
 loose from its dangerous snares, despise its guileful friend- 
 ship : soar aloft and rest as often as thou canst with thy 
 thoughts lingering on the boundary of that eternity which 
 awaits thee. Seest thou then the world in its true form ? if so, 
 measure time and eternity together, and make thy election. 
 And how can the choice be difficult to thee, since the pre- 
 ponderance of heaven over the earth is so infinitely immense ? 
 I will act like a reasonable being, and prefer the better part. 
 I will contemplate this world as it really is, and often and in 
 

 WITH GOD 137 
 
 vivid colours represent to myself the felicity which yonder world 
 offers to the pious and the faithful, that my soul may be filled 
 with heavenly sentiments, and never forget how speedily all 
 sublunary pleasure vanishes, and that God's love alone en- 
 dureth for ever. If I maintain this consideration in my 
 soul, the universal decree of death will not be so very fright- 
 ful. I shall rejoice that I too belong to the number of the 
 happy who are freed from the bonds of the body, and set at 
 everlasting liberty. I shall bless every day that brings me 
 nearer to the hour of my final consummation. I shall call 
 out with most longing depire^ " When shall I go hence, to 
 behold the face of the Lord, and be united to my Redeemer?" 
 This frame of mind is most needful for a being who, like me, 
 approaches constantly nearer to the termination of his earthly 
 existence. It must at least assuage that bitterness which is 
 wont to be indissoluble from the contemplation of mortality. 
 And thou, thyself, O God, ex cites t me to renovate these 
 meditations in my heart ; for thou hast on all sides encom- 
 passed me with the images of death and evanescence, and 
 each grave of a departed brother exclaims to me, "Bethink 
 thyself that thou must die !" Every elapsed day proclaims to 
 me the briefness and the rapidity of life. May therefore the 
 idea of death everywhere accompany me, and inspire me 
 with wisdom to live for heaven ! may it forsake me not in 
 the bustle of my affairs, and may it employ me in my soli- 
 tude ! Thus shall I become better acquainted with eternity, 
 and regard my last great change without apprehension. Thus 
 shall I further make it the theme of my daily praise, that I 
 am to die, or rather, to speak more suitably, to leave an im- 
 perfect world, in order to pass into a perfect one. 
 
 MARCH 31. 
 
 The perpetual and swift Vicissitude to which every mundane 
 Object is inevitably subject. 
 
 ETERNAL God ! thou alone art subject to no variation : thou 
 art from everlasting to everlasting, the all- wise and all-good, 
 the holy and the just : as thy wisdom so likewise is thy will 
 
138 MORNINQ UOMMUNINGS 
 
 unalterable. Thee, immutable Deity, do I approach this 
 morning, to worship thee, and in deep humility to contem- 
 plate the changeableness arid the frailty of my own condition. 
 All, all that the world possesses is as transient as the month 
 which, with this day, will have fled for ever. All things 
 hasten to their appointed limit ; all the beauties which charm 
 me so greatly are fragile, and incessantly advance nearer to 
 decay. Entire generations cease, new ones rise in their place ; 
 and these also will in turn, like those that precede them, be- 
 come invisible on the earth. O ! how small is the number of 
 the days which God has allotted to mortals. Even though 
 they extend their age to the utmost span, still their perishable 
 part sinks finally into the dust, from which it was at first 
 taken. All the goods of fortune, however great they may be, 
 cannot render us happy. Love itself, the most agreeable of 
 our feelings, suffers under the general revolution. In short, 
 everything is utterly vain; and, as regards terrestrial objects, 
 each of us, taught by his own proper experience, must ex- 
 claim, " I have seen the end of all." 
 
 Yet, is it actually necessary for me to traverse the whole 
 globe, and to take a retrospect of centuries in order to 
 be convinced of this truth ? I need only think of the month 
 which this day finishes. Where are the days, the hours, the 
 minutes, which during this period I have lived ? Where are 
 the joys that gratified me, the hopes with which I have flattered 
 myself, the plans which I purposed to execute ? Where are 
 the melancholy moments which I saddened with my sighs ? 
 They are all vanished, and have only borne me with them 
 nearer to eternity. And thither wiJl this day and all the plea- 
 sures which I this day promise myself, follow on rapid wing. 
 
 I should be inevitably destitute of consolation, if to this 
 earthly instability I could oppose nothing durable, and so sa- 
 tisfy the instinctive longing of my soul after immortality. 
 But how happy am I that I believe in an immutable, eternal 
 God ! that I profess a doctrine which gives me assurance 
 that I shall live for ever ! Thanks be to thee, O Lord, that 
 thou hast granted to me this comfort. Amid all the decline 
 and fickleness of things, and even under the most grievous 
 vicissitudes, this trust shall support me. The prospect of a 
 world which affords endless possessions and endless enjoy- 
 ments, shall cheer my heart when oppressed and wounded by 
 
WITH GOD. 139 
 
 the loss of temporal friends and fortune. Faith in thee, the 
 everlastingly good and wise, shall inspire me with fortitude, 
 when this worldly life, with its delusions and its afflictions, 
 would otherwise overwhelm me with despondency and 
 sorrow. 
 
 
 APRIL 1. 
 
 Supplication for the Continuance of God's Long suffer ing 
 and Pity. 
 
 ONE month passes away after another ; but thy goodness, 
 eternal, benevolent God, endures for ever, and day by day 
 renews itself. How do I deserve that thou shouidst be thus 
 kind to me ? Wert thou of man's disposition, long since 
 wouldst thou have withdrawn from me thy favour, and re- 
 paid my ingratitude with chastisement and vengeance. O 
 how incomprehensible to me is this thy patience, thy forbear- 
 ance, and thy grace, when, on the strict search of my heart, 
 I am forced to accuse myself of so many transgressions of 
 thy sacred mandates, and mentally confess that I have 
 so often rendered myself, through indolence and levity, un- 
 worthy of the blessings of life ; so often consumed in sinful 
 or foolish endeavours the time which thou hast granted to 
 me for my everlasting salvation ! Ah ! I reflect with terror 
 on the bygone night. What if it had borne me into eternity ? 
 Where, miserable creature that I am, should I now be ? 
 Praised be thy compassion, gracious, merciful God, which 
 still permits me to live, and to behold the first morning of 
 this returning month. O ! that I might yet for the future 
 become more deserving of thy goodness ! But how ineffi- 
 cient will this wish be, if its accomplishment rests with my- 
 self ! Thou, thou, my God, even thou must render me 
 worthy of thy own pity. From thy support, and from my 
 Saviour's love, I expect the strength so to live, that I may 
 not insult thy grace, and cut myself off perpetually from thy 
 compassion. O ! take not away from me this thy help, for 
 which I now humbly entreat thee. 
 
 I am still on the earth, where every day has its trouble. 
 
140 MORNING COMMUNINGS 
 
 And who knows what trial may be this day destined to me ? 
 If thou, O God of my existence, shouldst deprive me of thy 
 stay, then would the slightest calamity weigh me down to the 
 ground, and overwhelm me in despair. Hear me when I 
 call upon thee in the hour of temptation, and forsake me not, 
 thou God of my salvation, when I seek thy aid. But espe- 
 cially manifest to me thy kindness, if also this day, in the fee- 
 bleness of my heart, I should stumble and fall. Let me not 
 perish in my sins, neither chastise me in thine anger. Still 
 patiently and indulgently bear with me, and let the barren 
 tree stand yet another day. Yes, I have the firmest confi- 
 dence that for rny Redeemer's sake thou wilt in thy goodness 
 continue to be gracious to me, and spare me. 
 
 And should I thus experience anew thy sympathizing love, 
 O ! how could I then persevere in rewarding it with opposi- 
 tion and unthankfulness ? No ; guided and excited to repent- 
 ance, I will employ thy goodness to the salvation of my soul. 
 This blessed influence I also implore from thee for all my 
 fellow-Chrrstians, who, like me, may have need of thy mercy 
 and forbearance. Attract the sinner to thee through thy love. 
 Keep thy children in faith and affection. Refresh the 
 afflicted under their misery. Have mercy on the whole world, 
 and let thy name always become more glorified in it. 
 
 APRIL 2. 
 
 Petition in behalf of our afflicted Brethren. 
 
 How much happier am I than many of my fellow-mortals 
 on whom this morning dawns ! Alas ! what a number of 
 these will behold the rising of the sun with aching hearts, 
 and already in anticipation groan over the sorrows which the 
 day's advance shall cause them ! O ! while at this moment 
 many thousands in indigence and sickness lift up their hands 
 to heaven, and sigh for alleviation and deliverance, I, on the 
 contrary, can stretch forth mine to thee, my God, with a joy- 
 ful mind. Ere I think of myself, I will remember these the 
 unfortunate. O God ! have mercy upon them ! Thou seest 
 the necessity under which they languish ; thou hearest the 
 
WITH GOD. 141 
 
 piteous lamentations which they utter; thou possessest the 
 means to aid them. Have mercy upon them! No man, 
 perhaps, can afford them relief; do thou assuage their pains. 
 Perhaps they have yet long to mourn for assistance : do thou 
 shorten for them the duration of their anguish. Teach them, 
 for their consolation, to consider how much thy Son has en- 
 dured and struggled for them, and let them, in his sufferings, 
 find incitement, rest, and fortitude. Yet, shouldst thou have 
 resolved still to defer the hour of help, should this day be 
 doomed to be, by them, as sadly finished as it is now com- 
 menced, then grant them patience and composure, and that 
 nobly courageous feeling which Jesus evinced even in his 
 most agonizing pangs, that they, like their hallowed pattern, 
 may say : " Not my will, but thine be done." 
 
 O ! how happy ought I to deem myself, that I have ar- 
 rived at this morning in health and peace ! Am I superior 
 in desert, or more pleasing to thee, than the multitudes to 
 whom thou castest the lot of tribulation ! No, O Lord ; I 
 deserved as little as they, that thou shouldst show me this 
 preference. It is only thy grace, thy incalculable mercy, 
 which sustains me, and preserves my life. I praise thee, 
 thou Author of my existence ; and not only my lips, but 
 moreover my sound body, my tranquil bosom, and my whole 
 being shall magnify thee. I will use these blessings to thy 
 honour, and not destroy them by iniquitous irregularities. I 
 will devote my faculties to thy duties ; I will make my 
 health subservient to the practice of goodness; and strive to 
 defend my contented heart from the ingress of sin. I still 
 live, I still possess my natural powers, 1 am still in the 
 world : I will therefore avail myself of every opportunity to 
 conduce to thy glory and to my neighbour's welfare But 
 how long shall I be able thus to speak ? How soon may 
 the instant be here, when my life shall touch its furthest 
 limit ; when disease shall rob me of strength and s pi lit for 
 activity ; when 1 shall lay racked on the couch of pain ; and 
 be already at the confines of the other world ? Immediately, 
 perhaps this day, such may be my fate. So long, howeveV, 
 as 1 have yet time, I will do good, and tire not. For in due 
 season I shall reap without ceasing. Render me, therefore, 
 O God, industrious in the pursuit of virtue. Let me,, in the 
 station in which thou hast fixed me, perform the offices 
 
142 MORNING COMMUNINGS 
 
 which are incumbent on me with fidelity and assiduity, while 
 there is still light, that the darkness of death may not sur- 
 prise me in thoughtless sloth, and that I may spend the re- 
 mainder of my life according to thy will, and for thy exalta- 
 tion. 
 
 APRIL 3. 
 
 Resignation to God's Dispensation. 
 
 To he contented with that which we possess ; to bear the 
 privation of that which we have not, without murmuring 
 and with cheerfulness ; and to reflect that there is no situa- 
 tion which has not its peculiar advantage and its peculiar 
 inconvenience, constitutes a difficult lesson for the proud and 
 dissatisfied heart. For nothing is more contrary to the 
 natural bent of the mind, than to be satisfied with that of 
 which we are in actual possession. The restless, covetous 
 imagination ever hankers after perfections which it fancies it 
 has not yet obtained. Contentment is, however, absolutely 
 essential to my peace. A contented heart can congratulate 
 itself on its happiness, even under the most inauspicious cir- 
 cumstances. But discontentment renders the most ample en- 
 dowments of fortune itself tormenting and joyless. Whence 
 has hitherto the greater part of my vexation arisen ? Only 
 from this, that I was discontented with the wise governance 
 of my God, and longed for things which to my shallow reason, 
 appeared necessary for my welfare. How many hours have 
 I imbittered through dissatisfaction with the portion which 
 God has appointed to me, and by perplexing myself with 
 anxious study how to improve my worldly condition ! And 
 how wretched might I now be, if God had always listened 
 to my desires ! Had he satisfied my greediness for riches, 
 I should be at this moment, perhaps, still less sensible of his 
 goodness than I am, still less inclined to Jesus, still less 
 charitable to my neighbours, and still nearer to my perdi- 
 tion. Had God, as I wished, granted me an unvarying 
 series of tranquil and agreeable days, how presumptuous, 
 how vain, how forgetful of Providence, and how haughty 
 

 WITH GOD. 143 
 
 might I have become ! Had God, as it was oft my ambi 
 tion, exalted me to a loftier post of dignity, how might I 
 now be puffed up with conceited arrogance, and how un- 
 mindful of my own nothingness, and the Almighty's infinite 
 greatness ! In fine, I should indeed deserve pity, if all my 
 rash wishes had been carried into completion. But I praise 
 thee, O my God, that my thoughts were not thy thoughts, 
 nor my ways thy ways. I praise thee for that wise disposal 
 of events, through which thou hast preserved me from mis- 
 fortune, and confirmed my true happiness ; I praise thee, 
 that thou hast deprived me of so much merely seeming 
 good, and benefited me through so many sufferings. 
 
 O ! vanquish yet, through thy Spirit, these perverse in- 
 clinations of my heart, which are so often the source of my 
 disquietude. Thou hast given me all that is requisite for 
 my real felicity, both in time and in eternity. This bounty 
 let me thankfully acknowledge, and employ according to 
 thy gracious views. Not without design hast thou placed me 
 exactly in this and no other connexion with society ; thou 
 didst so, because thou foresawest that in this, more easily 
 than in any other, my salvation might be promoted. Let 
 then my life's best gift be a tranquil and contented heart, 
 that resigns itself wholly to thy will, and confesses all thy 
 ordinances to be righteous and wise. Hadst thou left me to 
 my own guidance, I should surely have chosen very different 
 ways from those in which thou leadest me; nor should I 
 then have been able to look forward with so much confi- 
 dence to the issue of my course. Conduct me still, O God, 
 in consonance with thy counsels, and vouchsafe to me a 
 willing mind to follow thee without repining. Not after 
 opulence, gratification, and honour, will I strive : be thou 
 my wealth ; be the confession of thy name my glory, and 
 my occupation with thee my delight. The station in which 
 thou hast placed me is the best for me; arid, however low and 
 contemptible it may appear, still it affords me the power to 
 ennoble myself to the highest degree, through whatever I 
 perform or suffer in it with fidelity arid love in unison with 
 thy statutes. 
 
144 MORNING COMMUNINGS 
 
 APRIL 4. 
 
 The Delightfulness of Devotion, and its salutary 
 Influence. 
 
 <f HOLY, holy, holy, Lord God of Sabaoth ! heaven and earth 
 are full of thy glory : glory be to thee, O Lord most high ! " 
 With sacred feeling does the thought inspire me, that 
 hereafter, when I have passed through the vale of the 
 shadow of death, into the light of the celestial regions, 
 transported with ecstatic rapture, I shall join chorus in this 
 thanksgiving song of the celestial hosts that surround the 
 throne of the Ruler of the universe. But already, even 
 here, is it granted to me to worship thee and to praise thee, 
 thou redeeming and unsearchable Power : and, though with 
 a heart that is neither pure, nor pious, nor pleasing to thee, 
 to publish thy name. O ! how painful, so often as I would 
 pray to thee, do I feel the conviction that I am not worthy 
 of the high preference which thou hast shown to me in form- 
 ing me after thy own image. But how much also do I feel 
 strengthened both in the will and for the performance of 
 what is good, when with reverence arid earnestness I 
 solemnly address thee, and vow to thee to become more 
 obedient to thy divine commandments and more commend- 
 able in thy sight. Then do I meditate on thy holiness and 
 righteousness, and stand with awe before thee, who searchest 
 and provest the heart, and unfoldest the inmost counsels of 
 the breast. Then do I call to memory thy great mercies, and 
 thy infinite goodness, which again this morning spreads itself 
 in newness over me, and am moved with ardent love and 
 gratitude to thee, my benignant Father in heaven. But this is 
 love to thee, that I keep thy commandments ; how then can 
 I designedly transgress against them ! Yes, to know thee, 
 thou adorable, arid to be thy adopted, that is happiness ; and 
 gladly to do what pleases thee, that is bliss arid delight. To 
 look up to thee full of infantine security, and to experience 
 comfort in thy grace, that felicity is superior to all the trea- 
 sures and all the joys of the world. O ! strengthen my 
 confidence in thee, and let not the consolation of this trust 
 fail me when thou triest me through troubles and afflictions. 
 
f 
 
 WITH GOD. 145 
 
 Let it be my most zealous endeavour to search out the 
 wonders of thy wisdom, and the plenitude of thy benefi- 
 cence in the destinies of my life ; and let it constitute my 
 sweetest recreation to proclaim thy praise, and to serve thee 
 in faithful undeviating submission. 
 
 APRIL 5. 
 
 Consciousness of God's Favour the strongest Consolation. 
 
 How culpable and despicable should I be, were I to rever- 
 ence the Lord only with my lips ; were my heart to be far 
 from him, while I offer up to him the homage of prayer ! 
 I thank thee, O my God, for the blessing of the pious affec- 
 tion which I entertain towards thee, so often as I elevate my 
 heart to thee in worship. I acknowledge and feel how hap- 
 py thou hast rendered me, through faith in my Redeemer, 
 and joyfifl confidence in thy fatherly truth. How wretched, 
 how lamentable a creature should I be, if I only knew, with- 
 out loving, thee and him whom thou has sent; if doubt 
 and infidelity beset my mind ; if I bore not in my heart 
 that veneration for thee which has so often already in the 
 hours of temptation supported and rescued me ! Where 
 should I find rest for my soul, if I did not feel, see, and 
 verily taste thy benevolence ? These devout sentiments are 
 iny bosom's dearest comfort, and my strength, and my sup- 
 port under every trial. In these sacred emotions of love, of* 
 gratitude, and of confidence, I recognise that I belong to 
 thee, my Father, and that thou wilt bless me. To these 
 feelings I owe the tranquillity of my heart, and the peace of 
 my conscience, and my most rapturous and cheering expec- 
 tations. O ! therefore will I often, through prayer and 
 hymns of praise, fortify myself in such beneficial impres- 
 sions, and invigorate them through the consideration of the 
 inestimable favours with which God has been variously 
 pleased to load me, and guard them as the jewels of my soul, 
 and as the testimonies and sureties of my salvation. For 
 wouldst thou have inspired me with such ideas, O Lord, 
 didst thou not desire that they should draw me towards thee, 
 
 L 
 
146 MORNING COMMUNINGS 
 
 keep me steadfast to tbee, and make me fit for, and worthy 
 of, thy heaven ? Yes ; to me they shall be a foretaste of 
 that blessedness which, with thee, I shall hereafter perpetu- 
 ally enjoy. 
 
 APRIL 0. 
 
 Life to be measured not by Number of Years, but by 
 Virtue and good Actions. 
 
 IF I compute my life according to the measure of the time 
 which I have lived, it is now indeed very long but, if I 
 judge it according to the good and laudable actions which it 
 contains, it is exceedingly short. For the exercise of all the 
 virtues which I am conscious of having practised, scarcely so 
 many days would have been requisite as I have spent years. 
 How much more good might I have performed, had I sen- 
 sibly and readily employed all the opportunities w r hich God 
 granted to me for that purpose ! Many an occasion has been 
 presented to me of glorifying the Lord : have I well applied 
 all these opportunities to that great end? Many an object 
 of commiseration has the Divine Providence placed before 
 me : have I on my part, so far as it has been in my power, 
 acted as the charitable helper and deliverer, the friend and 
 comforter of the unfortunate who sought my aid? How 
 often have I subdued the rebel in my heart? How often 
 have I repressed my desire of vengeance ? How often have 
 I thought of God in the hurry of the world, and worshipped 
 him in privacy? How often? Alas ! with what shame and 
 humiliation for me are these questions fraught ! Ah ! God, 
 I must confess, that in proportion to the sum of the days of 
 my life, scanty are the good actions that I have accomplished. 
 I have, it is true, lived a vast number of days, but can I also 
 maintain that I have really and thoroughly lived them ? 
 
 What avails to me a lengthened life in which I hardly 
 raise myself above the irrational brutes? A life void of 
 wisdom and virtue is no life ; an age spent in sin will not 
 qualify me for the blessing of God ! O ! that I might never 
 forget this, and daily and earnestly reflect upon it 1 From 
 
WITH GOD. 147 
 
 this day shall the better disposal of my existence date its com- 
 mencement. Yet how ? Do I not, even now, delay perhaps 
 something more urgent, while I only think and wish ? O 
 God of my destiny, come thyself to the aid of my desires. 
 Remember not my former days, which I have partly slum- 
 bered and partly squandered away. So rule me that I may 
 ever keep in mind the exceeding value, the fleetness, and the 
 irrevocableness of time. So long as I live thou wilt continue 
 to gift me with opportunities of doing good : let me use them 
 uprightly, and acknowledge them as benefits. Yes ; nume- 
 rous occasions of doing good will undoubtedly arise in my 
 future life. But, perhaps I may not then have the power nor 
 the means, nor the support, nor the inclination which I no\t 
 have, if I profit by the immediate opportunity which occurs 
 to me. Would, however, that neither this nor any succeeding 
 day of my life might be destitute of commendable endeavours ! 
 I entreat thee not, Lord, for a prolonged term of years, but for 
 the grace properly to employ those which are appointed to 
 me, however few they may be ; and by the manifold amount 
 of my virtues, to compensate the short reckoning of my life. 
 He that loves God and man, and exercises himself in faith, 
 lives long lives well. 
 
 APRIL 7. 
 The Day of Judgment. 
 
 Now that again in this world I behold a new day, I call to 
 mind that great day, O Jesus, which I shall witness at thy 
 appearance for the last judgment ; the most memorable day 
 in the circle of all days and times ! How momentous will be 
 the occurrences of that decisive day, on which thy sentence 
 will fix my fate for the whole course of eternity ! Ah ! ever 
 must the prospect of this day be present to my memory, that 
 I may not be ranked in the number of those miserable sinners 
 who on account of their vices are compelled to regard this 
 dread epoch as the most frightful in the revolutions of futu- 
 rity! They have thee for their Judge, thou Omniscient, thou, 
 who wouldst willingly love them and bless them, and to this 
 
148 MORNING COMMUNINGS 
 
 end offeredst up for them thy life ; thee, whose blood they 
 hold not sacred, and whose blessing they will not accept. O ! 
 with what despair will they learn, that thou, whom in their 
 life they despised, scornest and spur nest them on that awful 
 day when help for sinners shall no more be found ! 
 
 Almighty Judge ! I also tremble as a breaker of thy law, 
 when I think of that day : and nought can comfort me save 
 thy proclamation : " Whosoever heareth my word, and be- 
 lieveth in him whom I have sent, cometh not into judgment/' 
 Heavy with the load of sin, beneath the weight of which I 
 groan, I flee, during this season of grace, on each day of pre- 
 paration for eternity, to thee, who art now still the Saviour of 
 the guilty. I cling with steadfast faith to thy' cross, which 
 has expiated the iniquities of the entire world. For thy 
 blood's sake, God, who has constituted thee Judge both over 
 the quick and the dead, absolves and pardons me. I see in 
 him no more the angry avenger of offended justice, but the 
 general Father who will divide with me, on the day of arbi- 
 tration, the heritage of his children. 
 
 Invigorated by this believing hope, I can await the day of 
 thy coming with tranquil courage. But further me with thy 
 grace, I implore thee, that I may not forfeit this assurance by 
 voluntary sins, but strive to maintain it through faith and a 
 godly life. Let thy solemn judgment-day ever be before my 
 eyes ; and let my heart, in constant expectation of its ap- 
 proach, zealously work its own sanctification. The retribu- 
 tive day may come and surprise me, ere I am aware. And 
 though this day were even yet long ages distant, still my hour 
 of doom, the moment of my death, is near at hand. Be 
 watchful and take heed, O my soul, if it now be nigh to 
 thee, all thy efforts to arrest its advance, or to escape from it, 
 are in vain. 
 
 It is appointed to man to die, and afterwards follows judg- 
 ment. Perhaps, even now, thy Judge is about to let his fiat 
 fall upon thee. Watch and pray. Behold the Lord cometh ! 
 Hasten to meet him, that on his arrival, disgrace cover thee 
 not. 
 
WITH GOD 149 
 
 APRIL 8. 
 The Heart proved. 
 
 OF what description are the ways which I follow? Have I 
 found in them ease of heart and contentment? Does my 
 conscience testify to me that I have walked before God, and 
 that I have been faithful to my duties ? Do I enjoy the love 
 and the approbation of the more virtuous portion of my 
 brethren? Can I reflect without repentance on what I have 
 done, willed, and thought? How important are these ques- 
 tions ; how profitable, and how necessary is it, that I should 
 often put them to myself, and to myself likewise ingenuously 
 answer them ! Would it be well for me, that I should 
 harden myself against the impulses of my conscience, that 
 with levity of mind I should turn a deaf ear to its accusations? 
 Soon should I then have cause to sigh over and despair of 
 myself! Since he who, like a dreamer, proceeds in the path 
 of sin, without inquiring whither this road will lead him, 
 cannot escape destruction : for him there is no rescue. No 
 longer therefore will I shun the examination of my heart and 
 life, no longer conceal from myself, that I have permitted 
 myself to be deluded by my own flagitious propensities, car- 
 ried away by the evil genius of the times, and seduced by the 
 weakness of my heart into folly and to the violation of my 
 duties. O ! how often has that falsely glittering prosperity, 
 which the world promises to those who with inflexible obdu- 
 racy stifle the still monitor within them, and prosecute with 
 inconsiderate pertinacity the career of interest, cheated and 
 allured me ! How miserable should I already now be, if thy 
 warnings, my Saviour, had not brought me to reflection, 
 thy love had not delivered me ! Yes ; to thee I owe it, 
 that I am not yet lost that pious designs and holy resolu- 
 tions awaken to-day in my breast ! O ! be thou henceforth 
 my guide. Confirm me in the execution of the purpose 
 which I now form in the presence of God, that I will keep 
 thy image before my eyes, and graven on my heart ; and will 
 tread in the prints of thy feet. How can I dare to delay my 
 reformation when I know not whether I be not already at the 
 furthest verge of my mortal wanderings? But even though 
 
150 MORNING COMMUNINGS 
 
 I were certain that I should yet live long, ought I to trifle 
 with one hour of that precious time which is lent to me for 
 my eternal salvation ? Ah ! no ; henceforward my walk 
 shall be in heaven : with patience and endurance in good 
 works will I aspire after the life immortal. 
 
 APRIL 9. 
 
 The Christian, acknowledging God the Ruler of his 
 Destiny, looks for v^ard to the World to come. 
 
 A HIGHER than mortal hand guides my destiny : it is regu- 
 lated by the Deity, of whose goodness, omnipotence, and 
 wisdom, I find as many proofs as I behold objects ! What 
 could I desire for my happiness, which that God is not able 
 to give me, whose word has called forth so many thousand 
 worlds out of nothing ! Into what difficulty could I possibly 
 fall from which the divine skill which has prepared the 
 heavens and formed all creatures so excellently, could not 
 procure for me a safe issue? Or, what is there that should 
 prevent me from recommending my ways to this God, fleeing 
 to him as my refuge in need, and hoping in full confidence from 
 him a hearing to my prayers? 
 
 It is true, I am a very. insignificant being. I lose myself 
 in the infinity of the works of the Almighty : and when I 
 consider his exalted state, and the boundless compass of his 
 dominion, I think indeed within myself: " Who am I, that God 
 should regard me or take an interest in me? v But, on the 
 other hand, I am comforted by the recollection that this 
 majesty prevents him not from supplying the wants of the 
 smallest worm. Why then should he not prize me, since as 
 a man I am so much superior to all other creatures ? But 
 here my impeaching conscience reminds me that I have often 
 shown myself unworthy of this superiority, that I am defi- 
 cient in so many respects, and that I have therefore no just 
 claim on God's gracious providence. My conscience charges 
 me to dread that the holy One and the righteous will punish 
 me through the bereavement of his mercies, and through mis- 
 fortune and sorrow. 
 

 W1T.1 GOD. 151 
 
 And now, though 1 look around the whole world, I no- 
 where find anything that can release me from this anxious ap- 
 prehension, or cheer my disquieted bosom with one sure trust. 
 The doctrine of the gospel alone comforts me. Blessed be 
 thou, O dear Redeemer, who through thy sufferings hast ren- 
 dered the knowledge of my Maker, which would otherwise 
 have conduced only to my terror and my torment, so full of 
 joy and so rich in consolation ! To thee am I indebted, that 
 I dare to regard the great God whose glory the whole wide 
 universe announces, as my loving Father ; to place my 
 entire confidence in him, and to anticipate from him all good, 
 both temporal and eternal. And O ! how fair now, for the 
 first time, appears the world to my view ! How glorious are 
 the prospects that open upon me ! Is the earth full of the 
 riches of the Most High, heaven will be still more so. There 
 will God's love stream down upon me in blessings ; there 
 shall I perfectly comprehend the omnipotence, the wisdom, 
 and the beneficence of the Lord. And how powerfully will 
 the splendour of the Divine Majesty entrance me when I shall 
 see it face to face, since even here at this vast distance it so 
 strongly affects me. Then will my heart and my lips over- 
 flow with feelings of reverential awe, and with hymns of ado- 
 ration and gratitude. And then also will thy praise, most 
 beloved Redeemer, who, through thy atonement, hast ren- 
 dered me so happy and so blessed, so honoured and exalted, 
 become my eternal occupation. 
 
 APRIL 10. 
 
 Violation of Vows made to God. 
 
 How can I confess to thee, O God, how oft I have broken 
 iny covenant, my promises, and the vows which I had 
 offered up to thee, without feeling shame and remorse? 
 Far from me be such perverseness. It would indeed be a 
 sad proof of the vileness and the flintiness of my heart, 
 could I own my proneness to violate my engagements and 
 rny infidelity, and rot experience at the same time that sor- 
 row which "repentance and ignominy infuse into the breast ! 
 
J52 MORNING COMMUNINGS 
 
 Ah ! what great thanks do I not owe to thee, that thou hast 
 not allowed me to sink into perdition so utterly destructive 
 as to regard my situation unmoved, by sensations of* penitent 
 regret ? Holy and true God, I cannot, I cannot lift up my 
 eyes to thee without weeping over my falsehood, and ac- 
 knowledging, with abashment, my instability. Thou hast 
 been invariably true towards me, changeless in thy promises, 
 and unwearied in thy blessings. But I, alas ! how ungrate- 
 ful, how light-minded have I been ; times beyond number 
 have I vowed to thee amendment, but I always remained as 
 before. Often at the sacramental supper have I already re- 
 newed the bond of my reformation : there tears bedewed my 
 cheeks at the recollection of my sins : there at the spectacle 
 of thy love, my soul was filled with emotion and venera- 
 tion ; there I made solemn homage to thee of lasting affec- 
 tion and incorruptible servitude. But scarcely had I quitted 
 the altar, which declared to me the glad tidings of thy ten- 
 der esteem, scarcely had I pronounced my sacred assevera- 
 tion, or finished my song of praise, when I forgot my obliga- 
 tions, and suppressed the devout operations of my spirit. 
 To unfold to me the extent of my offences, it pleased thee 
 to visit me with afflictions, to chastise me with sickness, and 
 to bring me to the brink of the grave. There also I reite- 
 rated to thee that I would serve thee. But as soon as thou 
 drewest back from me thy heavy hand, and restoredest to 
 me my wonted energy, my professions were disregarded and 
 still continue unfulfilled. How many mornings are past, in 
 which I contracted new obligations with thee, and then as 
 frequently annulled them. 
 
 Behold, O Lord, thus treacherous, thus fickle, thus cor- 
 rupted is my heart ! Thus little am I able to accomplish 
 my best purposes, if thou thyself endue me not, through 
 thy Spirit, with ability and inclination ! I now stand before 
 thee again to renew the covenant which thou establishedst 
 with me at my baptism. God of unity in trinity, I vow to 
 thee, and through thy grace will I keep true my 'holy oath, 
 that I will make this day the commencement of my living 
 to thy honour. Let the impression of this resolve continue 
 so deep and efficacious with me, that I may under all cir- 
 cumstances recollect, without wavering, my plighted word. 
 Let me sacrifice to this my declaration of duty every other. 
 
WITH GOD. 153 
 
 engagement. Let nothing be so dear to me, nothing so 
 durable in my memory, as the decision which now, at the 
 rise of this day, I voluntarily embrace : I will be wholly 
 thine ; I will remain true to thee till death. As a Christian 
 I will imitate my Saviour : both living and dying I will be 
 devoted to him. O God, thou hearest my determinations, 
 grant me grace to execute them. Preserve me from the 
 misery of a repetition of my perfidy towards thee, and from 
 being compelled at the finish of this day, as in the past 
 evening, to exclaim, O ! wretch that I am, to-day again I 
 have been a covenant-breaker ! Rather vouchsafe to me the 
 gentle consolation, that not only at the close of each suc- 
 ceeding day, but also in my last hour, I may be able truly to 
 say, " I have held fast the faith !." Then may I likewise add 
 with confidence, u Henceforward the crown of righteousness 
 is laid up for me." 
 
 APRIL 11. 
 
 The wonderful Structure of the Human Frame. 
 
 MY Creator ! I thank thee that I am wonderfully formed. 
 I cannot look upon myself without being amazed at thy 
 wisdom, thy power, arid thy goodness, which have magni- 
 fied themselves as greatly in my body as in those immense 
 heavenly bodies which roll above my head. Though there 
 were no sun, no moon though no stars illuminated the plains 
 of ether, to proclaim to me thy existence and thy greatness, 
 the mere spectacle of my own frame would tell me how 
 mighty, how wise, how potent, thou art. Yes, I am a mi- 
 racle of thy power, supreme, and all-adorable Maker of the 
 universe ! Nor should I deserve to bear about with me 
 this body which thou hast so astonishingly fashioned, or to 
 possess these senses, these faculties, this soul, if I kept not 
 in remembrance thee, through whom I live, move, and have 
 my being ; and if I devoted not this production of exqui- 
 site skill to thy honour. 
 
 I contemplate myself, and I am struck with surprise at 
 every glance which I direct to my own person. No mem- 
 
154 MORNING COMMUNINGS 
 
 her is sirperfiuous, each is found precisely in the place where 
 both convenience and corporeal ornament require it to be. 
 How worthy of admiration is the disposition of my internal 
 parts ! The organs of hearing, of sight, of smell, and of 
 taste, how nicely are they contrived, and how artfully 
 adapted to their respective functions ! How flexibly does 
 limb accord with limb ! How fine is the texture of the 
 nerves and veins ! How pliant are the sinews, joints, and 
 muscles, through which I effect the movements of 1 my body! 
 How judiciously are the organs connected, through which I 
 take my nourishment, and how extraordinary is that inward 
 arrangement by which the food is converted into blood and 
 succulence, and my body refreshed ! What symmetry, what 
 variety, and what beauty, are displayed in every part of my 
 construction ! Lord, how marvellously hastthou made me ! 
 
 ! let me then, all-gracious God, never use this frame save 
 to thy praise ; whether I walk or sit, repose or move, speak 
 or am silent, breathe or pant for life, weep, or in gladness 
 smile ! But grant to thy servant still to put his joy in thee, 
 and let my body, undefiled and pure, become a temple, 
 wherein thy Spirit deigns to dwell perpetually ! 
 
 In this manner should I best employ the important gifts 
 which the Almighty has entrusted to me. But how inexcus- 
 able, on the contrary, should I be, were I to dishonour this 
 fane of the Deity, to disgrace this masterpiece of God's 
 handy-work, and refuse to acknowledge the wonders it pre- 
 sents to my admiration ! No : benignant Architect of nature, 
 
 1 will often and thankfully contemplate myself, and on each 
 eview of my body, glorify thee. I will direct all my senses 
 
 to attain the preception of thy greatness, to feel thy good- 
 ness, to observe thy miracles. I will not move without re- 
 membering thee, who hast given me life and motion. My 
 conscientious and unwearied industry 1 shall extol thy bene- 
 ficence. And when, at length, this beauteous structure 
 shall fall into decay, I will think with joy of the time when 
 my tabernacle of flesh shall become like to the glorified 
 body of Christ: when to all the benefits which I have al- 
 ready received from thee, this will bemadded, that I shall as- 
 sume an immortal body. At these thoughts my whole 
 heart is transported. O ! how blessed shall I then be, when 
 this earthly perishable fabric is taken from me ! Lord 
 

 WITH GOD. 155 
 
 Jesus, to thee am I indebted for this blessedness Render 
 me grateful to thee both in body and soul. 
 
 APRIL 12. 
 
 Praises of God the Creator. 
 
 ADORABLE God ! all the hosts of heaven praise thee. And 
 I also at the break of this day will praise thee. Praised be 
 thou for all the mercies which in my past life thou hast 
 vouchsafed to me. Praised be thou, that I am still able to 
 prostrate myself before thee, and petition the renewal of thy 
 goodness. Thou rejectest not my prayer; how often have I 
 experienced this with the most joyful emotion of my soul ! 
 Thou art exalted above all, and too great that even the arch- 
 angels should hymn thy celebration ! How happy am I, 
 through the knowledge of thy increasing beneficence, which 
 manifests itself so gloriously even in the least of thy crea- 
 tures, and which equally provides for the insect of the dust, 
 as for the seraph that ministers' at thy throne. Praise be as- 
 cribed to thee, that thou, who showest to the sun and stars 
 their paths, leadest man likewise on his way ; that thou art as 
 gracious in the support of the meanest inhabitant of the earth 
 as in the maintenance of the vast universe ; that thou givest 
 ear no less to the wailings of thy mortal suppliants than to 
 the hosannas of the celestial choir 
 
 O King of all kings ! how dissimilar art thou to the ser- 
 vilely flattered potentates of the earth, ^ho so often deny the 
 petitions of their vassals, and are so often compelled, through 
 inability, to disappoint them! Thou all-sufficient God, 
 nearest and fulfillest the entreaties of countless millions of 
 beings. When, for eternities, though didst establish the im- 
 mense dominion of thy empire of worlds, already full of wis- 
 dom and tenderness, thou didst resolve and predetermine the 
 acceptance of all the prayers which at any time thy children 
 should offer up to thee with pious hearts. Praised be thou, 
 that I too can account myself of the happy number of these 
 thy adorers. Even my request thou spurnest not. While I 
 yet hung on my mother's breast, and ere I could, even in 
 
156 MORNING COMMUNINGS 
 
 lisping accents, express my wishes, already were the wants 
 and welfare of the speechless infant thy paternal care. And 
 still thou hast heed to my supplication when, in thy Son's 
 name, I kneel at thy footstool. This morning, also, let thy 
 goodness be over me ; and turn not from me, thou God of 
 my salvation. Without thy support I cannot live through 
 this day, nay, not for this hour. Not in vain do I implore 
 thee for this support : how often already have I been en- 
 livened and comforted by thy fatherly love, when, in the aw- 
 ful consciousness of my own frailty, I addressed to thee the 
 cry of aid, begged with tears thy blessing, and besought thee 
 to guide me and protect me. 
 
 Show this grace to all my brethren. How many out of 
 the depths of misery, how many sinners, how many wretches 
 
 frievously attacked and oppressed, how many in poverty, 
 ow many in sickness, how many in the extremity of death 
 will this day pray to thee ! Help each according to thy 
 truth. Have compassion on all who need thy pity. Be 
 propitious to the devotion of thy children, whether they sigh 
 to thee in private, or in the assemblies of the godly, that at 
 the close of the day they may boast with joyful experience, 
 " Praised be the Lord, who refuseth not my desire, nor averteth 
 from me his benevolence." What numerous thankofferings 
 will then be brought to thee ! What tears of gladness will 
 those who now weep for sorrow then shed ! How will the 
 righteous rejoice and publish thy salvation ! Exulting will I 
 then also unite with these triumphers, and give glory to thy 
 name, which is become the refuge of all them that trust in it. 
 
 APRIL 13. 
 
 The World incapable of bestowing real or lasting 
 Tranquillity* 
 
 O ! THAT I could enjoy never-ceasing peace of mind ! And 
 why do I not enjoy it ? I would covet nothing more on earth, 
 if I could obtain this highest, most inestimable gift. But 
 perhaps I desire too much. Perhaps this world is not in- 
 tended is not fitted to afford me perpetual tranquillity of 
 

 WITH GOD. 157 
 
 spirit. Yes, this is the side on which I must regard the 
 world, if I would reconcile myself to it. Amid the corrup- 
 tion which reigns around me, amid all the allurements of the 
 senses, amid the vices of mankind, under the dominion of sin 
 and death, the longing after an uninterrupted state of mental 
 calm must ever remain unsatisfied. And even the painful 
 toil which I give myself to seek rest where no rest is to be 
 found, renders the accomplishment of my wish still harder 
 and more impracticable. Sometimes it is in the pleasures of 
 sensuality that I search for my quietude ; but these can yield 
 me alleviation no longer than they last. Sometimes it is in the 
 arms of friends that 1 seek to forget all my anxieties ; but I 
 only learn that they themselves have need of the same aid 
 that I require from them. And in this- manner I am daily 
 instructed in the melancholy truth, that in this terrestrial 
 abode no permanent ease can be expected. 
 
 O soul, that often sighest in solitude over this indubitable 
 truth, be contented and dispel thy grief! This world, ac- 
 cording to God's appointment, is not so ordered that it should 
 bestow upon thee peace and comfort. Even thy Saviour, 
 with all his godliness and innocence, was compelled to feel 
 vexation and heaviness of heart ! How often did the wretch- 
 edness of the world extort tears from him ! How often was 
 he forced to groan over human perversity ! How little did 
 he possess of the blessings and comforts of life, which gratify 
 thy bosom at least for hours and minutes i He passed his 
 days amid sufferings and distress ; and in all verity might he 
 complain, " There is no health in my bones ! " Contemplate 
 him, O soul, but not so much to convince thyself of the nature 
 of the world as of this assurance, that Jesus, through his 
 agonized existence, has obtained for thee happiness and relief. 
 What no world can give thee that wilt thou find with Jesus. 
 His doctrine, his sufferings, his death, even the yoke which 
 he has laid upon thee, constitute the surest means of procur- 
 ing tranquillity. Go but to him, weary and overburdened 
 heart, he will refresh thee. Only submit thyself in faith to 
 his bonds, and learn from him meekness and humility, and so 
 shalt thou obtain quiet for thy bosom. 
 
 But always remember that thou art still in these lower 
 climes, where sorrow and tribulation, care and dismay, be- 
 long to the number of life's inevitable evils. Look beyond 
 
158 MORNING COMMUNINGS 
 
 them with unerring eyes and gladsome hope to that immor- 
 tality which shall endue thee with the peace that endureth 
 for ever. Let this consideration of that futurity of bliss, 
 which shall be the reward of the pious, soothe thee in the mo- 
 ments of affliction, when composure flies from thee. Keep 
 to the Lord in stillness, and trust in him. He will certainly 
 send thee healing to mitigate thy woe. Entertain these sen- 
 timents throughout the whole day. To-day, as heretofore, 
 uneasiness will await thee. But do thou strengthen thyself 
 through the consolations of thy faith, and the infallibility of 
 thy expectations. Increase not, to thyself, thy anguish 
 through doubt and disbelief, or through want of confidence 
 and foolishness, but cast all thy concerns on the Lord, and 
 rely on him. He will not leave thee always in trouble. 
 
 APRIL 14. 
 
 The Duty of constantly contemplating the Merits of the 
 Redeemer. 
 
 THOUGH I were not indebted to the love of Jesus for such 
 endless blessings, yet the sufferings which he endured would 
 demand my constant remembrance. We are accustomed to 
 recollect with a peculiar force of feeling those heroes who 
 in the service of their father-land have sustained, with 
 undaunted courage, many various hardships, and pre- 
 sented to their country distinguished examples of steadfast 
 patriotism, bravery, and fortitude. But who has done so 
 much for the world, for his enemies, for me, as Jesus? 
 Where was there ever a greater model of heroism, of philan- 
 thropy, of self-devotion, than he ? And who ever obtained 
 for ail of us more eminent advantages ? There is conse- 
 quently no duty more incumbent upon me than this, that I 
 should make him the incessant object of my thoughts, and 
 thank him with unceasing fervour for his love. To excite 
 me to this office of gratitude, I need only review the wide 
 range of my Saviour's toils ; I need only form to myself an 
 impartial portraiture of his agonies and his glorification, and 
 my heart must be penetrated with veneration and affection. 
 
WITH GOD. 159 
 
 My soul, only remember Jesus, who is risen from the 
 dead! How important, how profitable is this meditation? 
 I see in the resurrection of Jesus the strongest testimonies of 
 the veracity of my faith, and the most indubitable assurance of 
 my eternal felicity. My hope can never more be disappointed, 
 since on this account did Christ rise from the tomb, that I 
 might have my expectation towards him. Now I have no 
 cause to fear that I have borne his yoke in vain. I shall be 
 like to him in his glory, as I have been like to him in his 
 sufferings. How ful!y consoled may I feel in all the distress 
 and gloom of my life, since the resurrection of Jesus pro- 
 mises me a happy escape out of all my troubles ! How little 
 cause have I to tremble at my sins, since the life of my Re- 
 deemer convinces me that they are forgiven ! How cheered 
 may I feel in death, since the returning of my Jesus from the 
 dead is the seal of my own resurrection ! 
 
 In all these benefits may I participate, if in faith I appropriate 
 to myself the death and the merits of my Saviour. Jesus, 
 my Lord and my God, quicken this belief within me ! Let 
 me never forget how much gratitude I owe to thy bound- 
 less beneficence. Never must thy memory be extinguished 
 for an instant in my soul! Thy image must, through the 
 powerful operation of thy Spirit, stand for ever manifest to 
 my sight ! The thought of thee must yield me comfort, 
 when the immensity and the multitude of my sins overwhelm 
 me ! Exalted Jesus, thou hast established a complete atone- 
 ment. Thou didst suffer so much, before thou didst enter 
 into thy glory, and yet I may follow thee into that inexpres- 
 sible state ! I must call thee to mind, whenever the pleasures, 
 the gratifications, and the treasures which the world proffers 
 to its admirers shall affect my heart. Thy resurrection as- 
 sures to me far purer delights and far nobler possessions ; and 
 in thy love, O Jesus, I enjoy a foretaste of heaven. Yes, I 
 so will think of thee in every felicitous hour of my existence, 
 and if I walk in darksome paths, thy resurrection shall fill 
 me with trust and hope : thou livest, and I shall also live. 
 
100 MORNING COMMUNINGS 
 
 APRIL 15. 
 
 Enumeration of past Mercies. 
 
 THY eyes, O my God, beheld me, ere I was yet formed. All 
 my days, which should yet be, and of which no one then was, 
 were written in thy book. Even then didst thou already 
 enter into the kindest views in regard to the whole tenor of 
 my life. The benefits which I already received from thee in 
 my earliest days, are in their value inestimable, and in their 
 number countless. O Lord, how could I have advanced thus 
 far in my course, had not thy solicitude watched over me, 
 averted impending dangers, and satisfied my wants ! Inca- 
 pable of self-preservation did I enter into the world. Had 
 not the All-bountiful supplied my sustenance; had he not 
 covered me with his wings ; had he not arrayed the angels 
 for my guards, and encamped them round my cradle where 
 should I now be ? And though I had still lived, how 
 wretched, how infirm should I have been ! During all these 
 years, encompassed by so many perils, to which my infancy 
 itself was exposed, I have been supported till this moment. 
 My life has been nourished, my bodily powers have been 
 daily renewed ; my faculties and talents have unfolded 
 themselves. O ! what proofs do I discover of the superin- 
 tendence of my God, when from my present years I look 
 back to the preceding, and from these to my helpless child- 
 hood ! 
 
 O Lord, I think with astonishment and thankfulness on my 
 former days, in which I have exhibited in myself a living 
 monument of thy providence. Thus long have I now in- 
 habited the earth, and from the earliest moment thy goodness 
 and thy truth have been with me. When in baptism I was 
 consecrated to thy worship, and thus my soul received the 
 primary and greatest token of thy benevolence ; when full of 
 innocence I sported on the bosom of my parent, cherished, 
 nourished, and favoured by thee : when in devout simplicity 
 I, lisped thy praise ; when, as yet, I knew no idea but love 
 felt nothing but love, practised nothing but love ; when the 
 angels still busied themselves fondly with me, and smiled 
 upon my sleep : O ! how happy was I then ! Would that 
 
 
WITH GOD. 161 
 
 I were still as submissive, as affectionate, as gentle, as art- 
 less ! O ! that I still resigned myself as freely, and as confi- 
 dently, to thy gracious governance ! 
 
 Lord, grant me a child-like, thankful, guileless heart. Let 
 me, the older I grow, become always more humble, more 
 abundant in faith, more grateful, and more fully devoted to 
 thee. Should doubt and disquiet about my temporal prospects 
 ever disturb me, let me reflect how propitiously thy control 
 and thy foresight regulated my life, ere yet I was in a state 
 to indulge care, or to disquiet myself. Thou, who at my en- 
 trance into the world, didst so kindly conduct me, wilt not, 
 either during the progress, or at the end of my life, cease to 
 take charge of me on my journey. Perhaps thou hast de- 
 creed to me a long period of existence ; perhaps I shall 
 again become as weak and as powerless as in the months that 
 followed my birth: O ! then, my Father, tend me, lead me, 
 and rule me. Am I doomed sooner to quit this earth, 
 let me die, I beseech thee, as mildly, as calmly, as blessedly, 
 as I should have done, hadst thou recalled thy recent gift of 
 animation in the most tender stage of my infancy. 
 
 APRIL 16. 
 
 Obligation to praise God. 
 
 OUGHT I not to praise my Creator, when I see how glorious, 
 how gracious he is ? Ought I not to magnify my God, when 
 earth, heaven, and sea shout his applause ? From thee, om- 
 nipotent Parent, I received the life which is this morning 
 again renovated, and thy gifts are all the joys of my exist- 
 ence. Thou preservest for me, at this moment, my respi- 
 ration, and the next instant hangs solely on thy will and good- 
 ness. And I, who am thus highly favoured by thee, thy 
 creature, thy image, thy redeemed, a wonder of the earth, a 
 citizen of heaven, shall I not raise my voice aloud, and laud 
 thee ? But, O thou highest Being, how can a mortal only 
 extol thee, when the angels cannot utter thy perfections ? but* 
 lose themselves in the contemplation of thy majesty, and wor- 
 ship thee in silent rapture ? 
 
 M 
 
162 MORNING COMMUNINGS 
 
 How can I calculate the infinite measure of thy power, 
 which out of nothing bade this grand fabric of the globe start 
 forth in all its beauty ? At thy nod the heavens spread 
 themselves abroad; the sun sent forth its light; yonder stars 
 were fixed on high. Thou lettest the waters expand, and ap- 
 pointest to them their flood-marks. Thy hand decketh the 
 valleys with flowers, and adorneth the hills with groves. In 
 all the productions of nature thou art great, magnificent, and 
 adorable. Every rising sun announces to thy creatures thy 
 goodness and thy wisdom. And the season of spring with 
 its multiplied charms and decorations, forces even from the 
 most unfeeling, the confession, " Many, O Lord, and astonish- 
 ing are thy works ; skilfully hast thou ordered them all, and 
 the earth is full of thy bounty ! O ! how great, how noble, 
 how perfect, must thou thyself be, since thy doings are so 
 sublime and glorious !" When the consideration of thy wis- 
 dom is so rejoicing, how transporting must it be to contem- 
 plate thy omnipotence ! From thee all living things receive 
 their breath. Through thee all are maintained in life and 
 motion. Thy providence embraces the whole creation. Thou 
 feedest the worm as well as the lion, the raven as the eagle. 
 Thy gracious benevolence blesses all creatures, and chiefly 
 man, the most ungrateful among them. Thus noble and be- 
 neficent dost Ihou exhibit thyself as the universal Maker and 
 Preserver. But O ! how much more excellent dost thou yet 
 appear as the God who, through the blood of his own 
 Son, has reconciled himself with unthankful foes ! Here 
 still more convincingly thou discoverest how merciful, long- 
 suffering, patient, and abundant in goodness thou art. 
 
 Shall I not praise my Creator ? Shall I not thank my 
 Supporter ? Shall I not exalt my Redeemer? Yes, I ought, 
 I will praise thee, thou God of all compassion. Not only 
 this morning, in which I again feel the exhilarating sensation 
 of renewed health and vigour, not only this day will I glorify 
 thy goodness ; but yet in the grave, yet before thy throne, yet 
 in eternity, will I proclaim thy renown, and more worthily 
 than I am here able, more ardently and more wisely than here, 
 adore thee and in thy adoration be eternally blessed. 
 
WITH GOD. 163 
 
 APRIL ]7. 
 
 Resolutions of Holiness. 
 
 LORD and Omnipresent God, to whom all creatures look 
 up, I also in the morning of this day elevate my countenance 
 and heart to thee. Praised be thou that thou didst not in the 
 past night close my eyes for ever, but hast again opened them 
 to gaze on fresh miracles of thy goodness. Would that the 
 eyes of my soul might be as efficient and as active as those of 
 my body ! I will, however, at least, form this day the firm 
 resolve to direct my whole mind to thee, and to keep thee 
 always in view. 
 
 In every occupation of the day will I regard thee as the 
 God who must give blessing and success to all that I do. 
 
 1 am incapable of myself to effect any thing profitable to my 
 own welfare. Thou, O God, must grant both purpose and 
 execution. Should I encounter alluring opportunities of sin, 
 be thou ever present to me with thy holiness and righteous- 
 ness, that a pious fear of thee may fall upon me, and restrain 
 me from committing aught which thou disapprovest. Should 
 the temporal calamities which are inseparable from this life 
 also approach me, then let me, O Lord, set thee constantly in 
 my sight, that those immediate and passing inconveniences 
 may bear for me a peaceful harvest of piety, redound to my 
 amendment, promote the safety of my soul, and bring me 
 nearer to thee. This day will I have thee in memory, O my 
 God, if it present to me any portion of good. No earthly 
 gain shall tempt me to neglect the Lord, but rather nourish 
 and increase in my soul the most lively emotions of thankful- 
 ness, and augment the ardency of my desire to become, 
 through faithful obedience, ever more acceptable to thee, the 
 supreme Excellence. But how much does my natural cor- 
 ruption weaken this desire ! How often are the true enjoy- 
 ments of my soul banished by sensual lusts. I am too weak 
 to resist them if I combat against sin without thy aid, O 
 Jesus. Therefore, I implore thee, withdraw not from me 
 thy support. One day spent without thee may make me 
 miserable for ever. Enlighten my eyes that I may always 
 behold thee as the author and the perfecter of my faith. 
 
164 MORNING COMMUNINGS 
 
 During thy course in the world thou hadst thy looks always 
 fixed on God, and his law registered in thy heart. I regard 
 thee with confident reliance, and the most unequivocal wish to 
 become like to thee. With this wish how should strength fail 
 me to strive against my innate perversity, and shake the do- 
 minion of the carnal passions ? Yes ; I will to-day walk as a 
 dutiful child before God, will preserve my soul spotless and 
 irreproachable, and remain free from all iniquity. If, now, 
 while I still live, I turn my face to thee in faith, so wilt thou 
 hereafter look down upon me with grace, when in death I 
 seek thy countenance. 
 
 APRIL 18. 
 
 The Happiness of belonging entirely to God. 
 
 THE gladdening feeling of health and animation to which I 
 have again awoke, and the Divine protection which I en- 
 joyed during the past night, give a new invitation to my 
 heart to consecrate itself to God, and to remain constantly 
 devoted to him in gratitude and love. Willingly, my God 
 and Father, will I obey the summons ; for it is my sweetest 
 duty to submit myself wholly to thee, and to thy benignant 
 government; and my happiest portion to belong to thee. 
 For what need I fear if thy approbation and thy blessing 
 follow me ; if thy almighty arm defends me : if thy wise 
 counsel rules my destiny ? Or what can be wanting to my 
 spiritual welfare if thy eyes beam upon me with a parent's 
 tenderness, and thou condescendest to grant me thy grace ? 
 
 Yes ; it is indeed, O my God, my felicity to be thy pro- 
 perty. Do I deem myself fortunate if I have a true friend, 
 in whose embrace I find contentment, comfort, and pleasure ? 
 Ah ! how much more happy shall I be, if I have thee for my 
 friend, and if I may boast of thy esteem ! Dost thou claim 
 me as thy own, and adopt me as thy child ? then am I 
 master of all that can render me felicitous or satisfied. I 
 may then hold myself assured of thy guidance, of thy further- 
 ance, of thy blessing, and of thy acceptance. And when 
 death deprives me of all that I had hitherto possessed, when 
 
WITH GOD. 165 
 
 it snatches from me my friends, or tears me from them, and 
 nothing more remains to me than a little space of earth, then 
 wilt thou continue my heart's consolation and my portion, 
 and in thy love I shall obtain a complete indemnification for 
 every loss. 
 
 Therefore it is right that my soul be for ever dedicated to 
 thee, O Lord, my God ! Behold then this morning I so- 
 lemnly consecrate myself to thee. To thee be devoted my 
 prayer, my thanks, my breath, my heart, and all that I call 
 mine ! I wish for no greater happiness either in this or in 
 yonder world, than that thou mayest find me worthy of thy 
 blessing and thy love. All else, that can be in any way ad- 
 vantageous for me, shall I obtain through this. I shall 
 have no cause to be solicitous about the future, but rather 
 behold in it the most agreeable prospects. I need be dis- 
 quieted by no necessity, and troubled by no wants. Thou 
 wilt order everything for the best, and already allow me an 
 anticipated fruition of that blessedness which awaits me in 
 heaven when I shall become thy property for eyer. O God, 
 let me, through the vision of this indescribable felicity, be 
 excited to devote myself to thee, both soul and body. Dis- 
 sipate the obstacles which prevent me from completing this 
 offering, and let it continue to be perpetually my joy to hold 
 steadfastly to thee, to put my refuge in thee, and to proclaim 
 thy wondrous works. 
 
 
 APRIL 19. 
 
 God's Goodness endurethfor ever. 
 
 I WAS once happier and more contented, freer from cares and 
 more cheerful, than I now am. O years of innocence and 
 peace, too speedily have ye flown ! How calm, how satis- 
 fied, how bounded in my desires, how void of anxiety was I 
 then ! Now numerous troubles crowd into my heart ; now 
 sickness and pain blight my promises of joy ; now my days 
 are united with many toils. Now the more my age increases, 
 the more do I experience fresh causes of distress, new acci- 
 dents, and less animated hope Soul, that thus reflectest in 
 
166 MORNING COMMUNINGS 
 
 secret, tranquillize thyself, arid become not pusillanimous. 
 Time, while it rolls on, carries along with it incessantly some 
 portion of thy troubles ; and God, who has appointed the 
 seasons and thy destiny, changes them according to his plea- 
 sure. He permits joy and sorrow to be blended in regular 
 succession. Dost thou indeed desire, if it were possible, to 
 recall thy days of childhood ? Wishest thou again to brave 
 the mischances which thou hast escaped ? Yet let time pass 
 away ! The goodness of God endurech for ever : it daily 
 renews itself towards thee. Daily does God afford thee re- 
 peated opportunities to practise virtue, and collect treasures 
 for eternity. Daily does he preserve thee from numberless 
 disasters. All is vain, all is transient. The goodness of 
 God alone is subject to no vicissitudes, and the bond of his 
 peace stands fast. Be not then, O my soul, broken down 
 with solicitude ; be not anxiously careful about the present 
 day. The Lord will not forsake thee, nor in any way neg- 
 lect thee. Be not thoughtful for the future. Say not : " How 
 will it be, when hereafter I feel the heaviness of old age, the 
 pains of a sick-bed, or any of the other infirmities to which 
 human life is exposed? " He, that has led thee up from thy 
 youth, will not abandon thee in thy hoary years. He, who 
 in his goodness has meted to thee thy burdens, will not urge 
 thee beyond thy strength. He, who through Jesus Christ 
 has bestowed upon thee all else, will likewise not deny 
 to thee the lesser gift. Has the morning of thy life been 
 overcast? the noon- tide will perhaps be more serene, and the 
 evening recompense thee for all thy woes. And should even 
 everything in this life continue sad and miserable around 
 thee, await with composure that morning which shall usb .r 
 in the dawn of thy everlasting happiness. Then will the 
 suns of adversity and grief set to rise no more. 
 
 With such glorious encouragements, cease not, O soul, 
 to rest thy hopes on thy God. Be comforted and undis- 
 mayed, and cling to the Lord. As the benefits of the Al- 
 mighty increase, so must thy trust, thy confidence, and thy 
 love augment. Beware of ever ungratefully undervaluing 
 his goodness, or abusing his patience and forbearance. 
 Through how many deeds of kindness will not God even 
 this day seek to draw thee to him ? Be not thou reluctant, 
 but let his grace have that effect upon thee for which it is 
 

 WITH GOD. 167 
 
 vouchsafed to thee. Offer up to the Lord thanks for each 
 of his donations, and pay to him thy vows. Whosoever 
 offers up thanks praises him ; and this is the means through 
 which thou mayest obtain that he still farther manifest to 
 thee his salvation. 
 
 APRIL 20. 
 
 Gratitude to God for the Power of knowing and worshipping 
 
 Him. 
 
 THOU most excellent Being ! Eternal, adorable God ! 
 thou fulness of all perfection, and of all that the myriad 
 hosts of spirits behold and wonder at ! I render to thee in 
 this hour of dawn my most earnest thanks, that thou hast 
 rendered my soul capable of a lively knowledge of thy 
 glory. This knowledge exalts and ennobles the love which 
 
 1 bear to thee ; it confirms rny hope, and animates my devo- 
 tion. It invests me with a real dignity; since it averts my 
 thoughts from earthly objects to thy infinity, and bends every 
 faculty of my mind to obedience towards thee. Thanks be 
 to thy mercy which has again enabled me with a ready heart 
 to pay thee adoration. I am wholly thine, my God, my 
 sole Lord, and Sovereign. I am thy servant ; with glad- 
 ness do I own myself thy servant. This name does me more 
 honour than all the titles of the world. 
 
 How shall I requite thee for all that thou hast done for 
 me to this moment? I can give thee nothing except myself; 
 nothing except my heart, which even thou thyself hast dis- 
 posed to be to thee an acceptable sacrifice ; that heart which 
 overflows with affection towards thee, and desires nothing 
 more ardently than to be united to thee in completeness of 
 love in eternity. But how feeble are my expressions to de- 
 note thy bounty, or the warmth of my gratitude? Had I an 
 angeF s tongue to hymn thy praise, yet would thy blessings 
 never be celebrated, even though I were to infuse all my 
 powers into the strain, that I might attain the prize of piety. 
 What thou hast done, O God, for thy worshipper exceeds 
 the farthest stretch of cherubs' thought. 
 
168 MORNING COMMUNINQS 
 
 For whom have I in heaven besides thee ? and on earth 
 there is no one after whom my soul yearns save thee, O 
 Lord. Thou art my God and my portion in eternity. In 
 thee alone I am completely blessed. How can I be con- 
 scious of all this, and not feel that my understanding is far 
 too limited, my inclinations far too weak, and my words far 
 too impotent, rightly to applaud and admire thy resplendent 
 grace ? 
 
 I confide in thee and love thee. O ! that I could yet 
 more fully praise thee, and adore thee ! Would that I could 
 do so as the angels and the glorified spirits that stand around 
 thy throne ! O ! when shall I go hence, and reach that 
 promised land where I shall be able more closely to behold 
 thy face and contemplate thy miracles, and more perfectly to 
 revere thee. Thou, O God, art the commencement and the 
 consummation of my faith. Be thy support influential in 
 all my just purposes and undertakings. Withdraw my soul 
 ever farther from terrestrial things, that it may ever better 
 comprehend its heavenly destiny. Let me have the reward 
 of immortality perpetually before my eyes, that with the 
 most faithful obedience towards thee I may pursue and hap- 
 pily finish my course in the path of Christianity. Thy fa- 
 vour, O Jesus, has enabled me this morning to meditate upon 
 thee with joy. Thy Spirit has imbued me with rapturous 
 sensations of thy love. Let these feelings and these thoughts 
 serve not merely for my comfort and delight, but let them 
 conduce to my amendment. Grant, O God, that they de- 
 part not from me during this day, but make me strong 
 against all the temptations of the world and sin. Let me 
 always increase in thy favour, and let my heart continue 
 blameless before thee in sanctity till the coming of the Lord 
 Jesus Christ. 
 
 APRIL 21. 
 
 Trust to be put in God, not in Man. 
 
 How unfortunate have I often felt myself, merely because, 
 in the weakness of my heart, I had placed my sole depend- 
 
WITH GOD. . 169 
 
 ence upon men, and from their sympathy and aid alone 
 expected relief. Now when I can calmly and dispassionately 
 consider my conduct, I evidently perceive how foolish it is 
 to put trust in beings so weak and so impotent, and who 
 have frequently not even the inclination to afford help. I 
 will always regard good men as the instruments which the 
 Almighty employs to be serviceable to me, and gratefully 
 own that their commiserating interposition and assistance 
 have on many occasions consoled me, extricated me from 
 difficulties, and rejoiced me; but, at the same time, I will 
 never forget that men can avail nothing, if God blesses not 
 their efforts ; and that human kindness and participation in 
 my welfare can never still the cares and troubles of my 
 heart, if I rely not with filial affiance on God, if I do not 
 believe that his wise providence rules my destiny, and that 
 neither happiness nor unhappiness can occur to me, if the 
 Deity has not so determined it. O ! I am now sensible, 
 and confess how often and how deeply I have sinned against 
 my loving Father above, through failing to confide in his 
 affection and his knowledge ; how often I have augmented 
 my distresses by not remembering, that no hair falls from 
 my head without the consent of my celestial Parent ; how 
 often has my hope been frustrated, because I referred it to 
 my own prudence or to mortal support, and placed it not in. 
 him who does exceedingly beyond all that we can ask or 
 understand. The bitter lesson which I have been taught 
 shall make me wiser. I will strive, through pious medita- 
 .ion on the wonderful ordinances of God, always more firmly 
 to strengthen myself in the belief of his guardian vigilance, 
 and in the conviction that all is well which he appoints ; but 
 I will also never forget, that in conformity to his wisdom he 
 cannot possibly grant me everything which my frail heart 
 craves ; though he really gives me all that is either salutary 
 for me, or that can contribute to the tranquillity of my 
 soul. 
 
170 MORNING COMMUNINGS 
 
 APRIL 22. 
 
 Daily Duties. 
 
 THE greater part of my fellow-mortals employ the present 
 morning in reflecting upon the occupations in which they 
 are about to be engaged, and in considering the means which 
 they shall adopt to prosecute their fortunes or their plea- 
 sures. But I will think of the concerns to which my faith 
 imperatively binds me, and follow the method which it pre- 
 scribes, in order that I may pass the day in accordance with 
 God's pleasure. 
 
 I will make it my business to praise the Lord, from whose 
 mercy I daily receive more good that I can imagine. I will 
 every day, and especially at the close of each, institute a 
 retrospective examination of the blessings which I have 
 received from God. From the gift of my immediate nourish- 
 ment I will raise my admiration to the inestimable promise 
 of eternal life, and glorify my heavenly Father in all things. 
 It shall continue my daily exercise to strengthen myself in 
 faith. I will no longer live without meditating on my reli- 
 gion, without every day devoting, at least, some minutes to 
 the contemplation of Jesus, and him crucified. I will daily 
 examine the Scriptures, and gather for myself instruction, 
 encouragement, and consolation. This divine book shall 
 lead me right when I go astray ; it shall convince me when 
 I am in doubt ; it shall refresh me when I grow weary ; it 
 shall recreate me when I feel sad; and powerfully invigorate 
 me when I languish under afflictions. Especially in doing 
 good will I assimilate myself to Jesus, whose whole life 
 was beneficence, consolation, and blessing. I will deem 
 every day lost, in which I do not seize the opportunities 
 afforded to me of virtuous utility. I will be the friend and 
 benefactor of all my fellow-Christians. Should I be able 
 to accomplish nothing further than to pray for them, it shall 
 be my favourite task to recommend them with supplications 
 to the protection of my God. In regard to what remains 
 for me to do, I will be indefatigable in the discharge of the 
 duties of the station in which the Lord has thought fit to 
 place me j and as far as is in my power willingly undergo 
 
WITH GOD. 171 
 
 everything to promote the wider diffusion of equity, happi- 
 ness, and joy in the world. 
 
 Such is the scheme of conduct which it behoves a Chris- 
 tian to form at the beginning of each returning day, and 
 that according to which his Judge will hereafter decide upon 
 his fate. O Christian, be thou sure to keep this well in 
 mind ! Jesus will not in the hour of retribution inquire of 
 thee about the plans which thou hast projected to secure for 
 thyself riches, honour, and prosperity ; but of this nature 
 will be the questions put to thee : " Hast thou fulfilled the 
 purposes for which I gave thee existence? hast thou laid out 
 the talents which I entrusted to thee to my honour, and the 
 world's best interest?" And woe to thee, if thou canst ap- 
 peal to no action by which thou hast carried into completion 
 the views of the Author of thy being ! And if thy Judge 
 were now to come, were he at this moment to cite thee to his 
 tribunal, what wouldest thou reply to him, if he should de- 
 mand from thee an account of even one single day ? O light- 
 est thou not to shudder at the bare idea ? Ought it not 
 strongly to instigate thee to dispose savingly of thy time, 
 and to live for heaven ? Sanctify this new day by render- 
 ing it the commencement of so indispensable an effort, and 
 regard both this and each succeeding one as a step towards 
 eternity. 
 
 
 APRIL 23. 
 
 Petition for the Inspiration of the Holy Spirit. 
 
 PRAISE the Lord, O my soul, and forget not the favours 
 which he has showered upon thee ! Should I indeed have 
 any of the feelings of humanity, if thy goodness did not touch 
 my heart, if it did not tend to render me thankful and obe- 
 dient ? Now, O Lord and Father of my life, I confess with 
 glad and grateful feelings how, for Jesus' sake, thy goodness 
 is ever recent with me ; how it has hitherto helped me, 
 spared me, and protected me ! The remembrance of this 
 shall never depart from my mind. Ah ! do thou, therefore, 
 endow me with thy Spirit, which teaches me to make lively 
 
172 MORNING COMMUNINGS 
 
 acknowledgment, and a salutary use of thy mercy. And 
 now that I approach thy throne to offer up to thee my 
 prayers and petitions, let me ask so that my request be ac- 
 cepted, and let me worship thy name with veneration. 
 
 God, be gracious to me ! I deserve not, on account of 
 my sins, that thou shouldest show thy compassion to me 
 anew. But with humility do I invoke thee, to have regard 
 to the merits of my Saviour, through which I become 
 worthy of thy approval. Withdraw not from me thy bless- 
 ing, so often misused and squandered. Let my breath, but 
 more particularly my soul, be preserved through thy divine 
 protection. Grant that, being created and redeemed for a 
 happy immortality, this my soul may continue incessantly 
 mindful of its destination, and never forfeit, through sin, 
 so noble an appointment. Implant in it thy fear and thy love, 
 arid tear it ever more and more asunder from those terrestrial 
 bonds by which it is enchained. And since I was brought 
 into the world according to thy inscrutable decrees, to the 
 very end that I might labour for the salvation of this same 
 deathless spirit, inspire me with zeal to fulfil my important 
 purpose, so that I may not become, at any time, slow in 
 striving to qualify myself for thy grace and for thy kingdom. 
 The relation with society, in which thou hast placed me, 
 prescribes it to me as a duty to pray also for my fellow-mor- 
 tals. Be propitious then, I beseech thee, to the people among 
 whom I dwell ; let this land grow rich in virtue and prospe- 
 rity. Let the heavenly manna drop everywhere upon her 
 hills. Let the nurture of her children be improved. Let 
 the immorality which frustrates and retards thy blessings be 
 entirely banished from their boundaries. On the other hand, 
 let godliness and Christian ardour be augmented. Let thy 
 goodness be ever more evident and more extended ; let it be 
 a comfort to them that mourn, to them that are in want, and 
 to all the afflicted ; let it furnish to the dying an hour in 
 which their departure may be in peace. Grant, likewise, 
 that especially those with whom I am connected by the ties 
 of blood and friendship, may, most bountiful God, this day 
 witness again thy mercy ; and O ! give them yet, thou Pa- 
 rent of all, further cause to boast of thy compassion. 
 
 Thou knowest, Lord, the necessities of thy children, and 
 thou art always ready to bless them and make them joyful. 
 

 WITH GOD. 173 
 
 Who is he that would not trust in thee, seeing that thou 
 alone art holy and wise ? 
 
 APRIL 24. 
 
 The Sun. 
 
 BEHOLD, the sun hath issued from his chamber, and spread- 
 eth light and joy through all the realms of nature ! What 
 a prospect presents itself to the view ! The sky is painted 
 with the brightest azure, and bestrewed with roses. A va- 
 riegated verdure clothes the plains. The whole creation ap- 
 pears adorned with inexpressible loveliness. The ravished 
 eye casts its glances around on every side, and is never satis- 
 fied with gazing. At the nearer approach of the star of 
 day, the mountains lift up their heads ; the earth exhibits a 
 thousand testimonies of gratitude and satisfaction ; from 
 every meadow, and out of every grove, the voice of pleasure 
 warbles. 
 
 Without the sun's genial fire, what would the world be 
 but a dismal dungeon? All its charms would be hidden and 
 lost, were they not revealed by the lustre of this illuminating 
 orb. An attentive mind discovers in the sun a vast fund ol 
 meditation. Its resplendency, its force, partake more of the 
 Divinity than does any other visible object. It constitutes 
 the best image of the Creator offered to the senses, and is 
 well adapted to give us the most exalted idea of his omnipo- 
 tence, wisdom, and goodness. But it forms also a type of 
 that Sun of Righteousness, which arose for the salvation of 
 mankind, and visited us while we yet sat in darkness, and 
 under the shadow of death. As often, therefore, O my soul, 
 as thou praisest God for the return of day, revere him like- 
 wise for the far more precious manifestation of the luminary 
 of salvation and his glorious gospel ! 
 
 If there was no sun, the trees would produce no fruits, the 
 shrubs no flowers, the fields no grass, the vales no harvest. 
 The fig-tree would not bud ; there would be no shoots on 
 the vine-branch; the tilled land would yield no food; the 
 sheep would be snatched from the folds; and there would 
 
174 MORNING COMMUNINGS 
 
 be no cattle in the stalls, were the earth to be robbed of the 
 sun's vivifying beams. The sun awakes the spring, it 
 quickens the roots of the plants, it renders fluid the nourish- 
 ing sap, it penetrates into the deepest recesses of the ground; 
 and as widely as its rays are darted, it becomes the universal 
 origin of animation, ornament, and beauty. If there were 
 no Redeemer, how dead, how barren, how frightful would 
 be the rational world ? He alone can refresh it, and give it 
 life and blessedness. He is the true light that enlightens all 
 men that come into the world. 
 
 The sun has a peculiar power to exhilarate the mind, and 
 gladden the heart. If in the morning it shines with un- 
 clouded radiance, all creatures are buoyant in spirits and 
 rejoiced; if, on the contrary, it is overcast only for a few 
 minutes, the reign of sadness becomes equally general : the 
 birds are mute; the sounds of transport cease; dejection 
 usurps even the human breast; terror and gloom everywhere 
 occupy the scene. If Christ hides his countenance, ah ! 
 what black obscurity envelopes all that the soul beholds ! 
 All that is around me is then melancholy; all that is within 
 me comfortless. Let, therefore, O benignant Saviour, the 
 brightness of thy face for ever shine upon me. Show thy- 
 self in my heart, and impart to me that which nothing earthly 
 can bestow the light of the soul and the peace of the mind. 
 Then the material sun may be extinguished, and the light of 
 the earth darkened : all nature may mourn : the heavens 
 may go down and disappear: thou wilt be my sun, my light, 
 my joy, and my heaven. In thy splendour, thou immeasur- 
 able One, I shall see light and enjoy it for ever. 
 
 APRIL 25. 
 
 Christ's Benevolence and Love. 
 
 THE whole tenor of the conduct of Jesus was one con- 
 tinued living example of philanthropy and benevolence. 
 And since it is also my destination in the world to practise 
 these virtues, where can I select a nobler specimen for my 
 imitation ? How tenderly solicitous was he for the welfare 
 

 WITH GOD. 175 
 
 of the human race? He converted his power to their aid> 
 not only when his assistance was entreated, but he sought 
 out the distressed, and proffered them his succour. He 
 journeyed with great toil to distant places, and visited the 
 meanest abodes, that high and low might have the advan- 
 tage and the comfort of his presence. He anticipated the 
 desires of the unhappy, and went about to do good. To the 
 blind he restored sight, and bestowed health on the sick. 
 To the miserable maniac he gave that which is more pre- 
 cious than light and than all the senses of the body, the use 
 of the faculties of the understanding. But what yet far 
 surpasses all these benefits, he freed the soul from the domi- 
 nion of darkness, and from the tyranny of sin. He made 
 his followers participators of the heavenly nature, and pre- 
 pared them for blessedness. He neglected his nourishment 
 and rest to sacrifice himself to the interests of his fellow- 
 men, and was sacrificed for them. Neither the irksomeness 
 of incessant self-denial, nor the slander of venomous tongues, 
 could restrain him from the prosecution of his labours. He 
 aspired at no offices of dignity, no fame, no reward. The 
 honour of his Father, and the happiness of mankind, these 
 were the only objects of his godly ambition. To these all 
 his efforts tended ; these were the scope both of his suffer- 
 ings and his death. Was there ever such goodness exhibited 
 as this ? 
 
 And how can I contemplate Jesus's life of beneficence, 
 without wishing and striving with all my might that my own 
 may be as full of humanity ? He has left me a pattern to 
 follow : I ought not merely to admire his love, I ought also 
 to display it in myself. But how ashamed do I feel, when 
 I consider this duty ! The life of Jesus was an uninter- 
 rupted series of blessings and benefits bestowed on man. I 
 can scarcely, in the whole amount of my years, signalize a 
 few hours in which I have exercised the gentler offices of 
 charity and affection. He sought out whereabouts he might 
 find the miserable: I avoid them when they look for me. 
 To him every hardship was agreeable, if only he could do 
 good : and I, though possessed of every facility to do good, 
 am hard and merciless. Ah ! thou Divine Philanthropist, 
 how unlike am I to thee ! 
 
176 MORNING COMMUNINGS 
 
 APRIL 26 
 
 Resurrection to Bliss. 
 
 As this morning, endowed with new force, I awoke to a new 
 existence, so shall I hereafter with still greater vigour awake 
 to that life of blessedness, in which it will be my happy por- 
 tion to reap what I have here sown in the fulfilment of my 
 duties. But since this is my high destiny, how dare I, how 
 can I direct my efforts only to the concerns of the world, as 
 if this state were to be my lasting dwelling-place? No, 
 never will I forget for a day that my faith holds out to me a 
 
 florious goal, which I ought to strive with my utmost en- 
 eavour to attain. I will labour with zeal and fidelity to 
 purify my heart. I will do good with unwearied constancy. 
 I will keep God's holy law before my eyes, and present to 
 my mind in all my actions ; for I know that it is not in vain 
 that I walk blameless on the earth. No, it cannot be in 
 vain, since God is good and wise. 
 
 He has implanted in my bosom this longing after ever- 
 lasting duration ; how can it be, that he will not satisfy it by 
 an immortal existence? He has bestowed upon me germs 
 of perfection that cannot be unfolded in this short and pain- 
 ful life ; how should he then not have appointed and kept in 
 store for me a life more exalted, in which my spirit may 
 arrive at that point which on earth it could not reach per- 
 fect intelligence arid knowledge, and satisfactory evidence of 
 all those things which here in the flesh it but dimly con- 
 ceives. O ! this belief of my eternal destiny is to me a deli- 
 cious consolation, since my terrestrial lot is so pregnant with 
 care and woe : it forms also a stronger and more beneficial 
 excitement to the performance of good works, and to cheer- 
 ful and assiduous fidelity in my calling. The world, there- 
 fore, may refuse me its thanks and its applause ; it may 
 overwhelm me with embarrassments and trouble : my hopes 
 are fixed on heaven, on the abodes of interminable peace, 
 which my Saviour has made ready for me. 
 
WITH GOB 177 
 
 APRIL 27. 
 
 The Condition of Man. 
 
 I AM a man produced by God out of nothing, and yet so 
 highly dignified, through reason and free-will, above all his 
 other creatures, and so richly blessed. How sacredly am I 
 then bound in duty as a rational being to praise my Creator 
 in wisdom and piety of heart ! 
 
 I am a man, but a very corrupted sinful man ; my inno- 
 cence is obscured, my worth degenerated 5 a few traces only 
 reveal the greatness with which I was originally invested. 
 And yet I would be proud of my privileges ! I would con- 
 sider myself guiltless ! I would not have patience with my 
 brethren, to whom I am similar in their misery ! 
 
 I am a man. In comparison with God I am merely dust 
 and ashes. Betwixt my conceptions and his comprehension 
 there is an infinite difference. Ought I then so to presume 
 in myself as to judge his hidden ways, to criticise his ordi- 
 nances, and to murmur at his decrees ? 
 
 I am a man, connected by a common bond with all men. 
 They have with me one author, one hope, one vocation, one 
 fate. How then can I be uncharitable and cruel towards 
 them ? 
 
 I am a man ; but through Jesus a being born to happiness. 
 He has greatly ennobled my nature, inasmuch as that like ine 
 he became weak and needy. He has beyond all measure 
 magnified the whole human race in this, that he has obtained 
 for them through his death a blessed immortality. How 
 should I not prize it then as my chief happiness to be a fa- 
 vourite of this God-in-man, and to be already here united 
 with htm through faith and piety. 
 
 I am a man, to whom God has given a heart capable of 
 much feeling ; how inexcusably should I then act, were I to 
 stifle the instigations of pity, and refuse growth to that sensi- 
 bility which he has implanted within me ! How undeserving 
 should I be of the name which I bear, were I not to combine 
 human sentiments with my human form ! 
 
 I am a man, and therefore even with the sincerest will, and 
 the most ardent zeal, exposed to numerous errors, failings, 
 
 N 
 
178 MORNING COMMUN1NGS 
 
 and frailties. How should I then dare to be proud of my 
 virtue ? How should I dare to despise my fellow-men, and 
 justify myself before thee, the all holy God ? 
 
 I am a man, and consequently, while I live here, subject to 
 a thousand accidents which remind me of the wretchedness of 
 my state. Far be it then from me to arrogate to myself su- 
 periority above others, and to contemn my brethren in feeble- 
 ness and lowliness ; but be this my endeavour to alleviate the 
 distresses of all, to pray for all, and according to my means to 
 contribute personally to their happiness. 
 
 I am a man, a perishable mortal creature. My days has- 
 ten away, and my life pampers itself for the grave. The re- 
 membrance of the fleeting condition of my worldly tenure 
 ought therefore constantly to accompany me, to render me in- 
 different to the things of the earth, and prompt me to more 
 industrious preparation for eternity. Death, while it carries 
 me to a better and securer haven, will elevate my nature to its 
 proper distinction ; for there I shall be holy, immortal, and 
 eternal. 
 
 APRIL 28. 
 
 Blessedness of the Time spent in Communion with God. 
 
 LORD, I will sing of thy might and boast of thy goodness in 
 the morning ; for thou art my refuge and my protection in 
 every necessity. I celebrate thee, my Shepherd ; for thou 
 art my defender and my gracious God. With whom can my 
 thoughts be more profitably occupied than with my Father, 
 who is worthy of all love who dwelleth in heaven ? O ! it 
 is a precious thing to give thanks to the Most High, to laud 
 his name with songs, and both at dawn and eve to proclaim 
 his truth ! I have outlived another night. Surely this is an 
 important event for a mortal, who dares not to vaunt of to- 
 morrow, since he knoweth not what to-day may bring forth. 
 I still behold on this cheerful spring morning the goodness 
 of God renewed towards me on every side. Thousands of my 
 fellow-creatures sank during the past night into the profound 
 lethargy of dissolution. How many only at the close of yes- 
 
WITH GOD 179 
 
 terday cried out with groans : " O ! that I might behold the 
 rise of day ! " yet saw it not. How many do indeed see the 
 new, early light ; but so languid are they, and so hopeless, 
 that their sighs breathe forth the invocation : " O ! that I 
 might holdout till the twilight reappear ! "But I still live. 
 I have no cause to greet the morn with tears, or with terror 
 to await the evening. O ! how much mercy does the Lord 
 of my life show to me ! 
 
 In the course of these reflections some minutes are already 
 fled! Fled? Yes, but not lost; they follow after me into 
 eternity. But, alas ! how have I spent the greater portion of 
 my days ? That, that is lost time which I cannot recollect 
 with a good conscience. And how many morning hours 
 which I have idled away without emotion, without gratitude, 
 without any virtuous resolve, must I add with shame and re- 
 morse to the sum of this lost time ! But wherefore is my 
 heart still so cold, when it ought to glow with thankfulness 
 to God ? Wherefore speak I not late and early of the bene- 
 fits of the All-bountiful ? Because I do not properly com- 
 prehend them ; because I know not how to estimate their 
 value, and am insensible to their magnitude; and because I 
 consider not how wretched I should be were I compelled for 
 one single day to be deprived of them. This morning, how- 
 ever, will I prolong the contemplation of thy gifts, my adored 
 Father, calculate the immensity of thy beneficence, and re- 
 present to myself how miserable I should be, were I con- 
 strained to endure the denial of thy favours, and enjoyed not 
 thy support. 
 
 No, I will not be devoid of feeling in the midst of such 
 abundant proofs of thy benignant providence. Let me un- 
 derstand and experience, let me see and feel how friendly 
 thou art ; and be wholly rapt into that blissful ecstasy which 
 transports thy glorified elect at the spectacle of thy greatness 
 and thy graciousness. Even now these happy spirits look 
 down upon me and bless me, as in concert with them I wor- 
 ship thee, eternal God, whom they incessantly extol. O ! 
 how sacred is the hour in which I bend my thoughts to thee ! 
 May thus every hour of this day, may thus my entire life, be 
 hallowed to thee ! 
 
]80 MORNING COMMUNINGS 
 
 APRIL 29. 
 
 Reliance on God, and Resignation to his Will. 
 
 WHEREFORE have I not more confidence in thee, my God ? 
 Wherefore am I so weak in belief, so full of mistrust ? Can 
 I look upon the earth, can I regard the heavens, can T even 
 turn my eyes upon myself without being confounded with 
 shame ? Can I call thy might into question, and at the same 
 time contemplate the general and particular evidences of thy 
 omnipotence everywhere apparent to my view ? Dawn re- 
 counts to dawn, and one day publishes to another how great 
 are the wonders of thy mercies. The years and periods 
 elapsed are witnesses of thy inexhaustible goodness, which is 
 every morning reproduced. All things on earth may change, 
 but thy goodness and thy grace endure for ever and ever ! 
 I adore thy power ; I stand amazed at thy benevolence and 
 faithfulness. I renounce all reliance on man and on my own 
 capability. If thou bless me, so shall I be blessed; blessed 
 without reservation ; blessed in life and death ; blessed in this 
 and in the future world. Thy blessing will go before me as 
 a leading star, and follow me as a guardian angel. 
 
 Be it therefore my most earnest endeavour to substantiate 
 my claim to this blessing by undeviating integrity and 
 fidelity in the profession which thou hast appointed to me, and 
 through the constant improvement of my heart. Then need 
 I not with careworn apprehension dread the events yet buried 
 in the womb of time ; mournfully prognosticate the moment 
 when my faculties shall fail, or grieve beyond moderation 
 when those who in attachment and esteem walked at my side 
 are snatched from me by death ; for since thou art always my 
 trust, and my heart's portion, why should I be troubled? 
 Dost thou mark me with approbation, what have I to fear ? 
 It is true, thou sparest not the pious in sorrows and afflic- 
 tions; but even through these thou blessest them. Therefore 
 will I not murmur if according to thy inscrutable counsels 
 thou pro vest me with sufferings arid woes, and listenest not 
 to my inmost humblest petitions. 
 
 No, far be it from me to desire that thou shouldst satisfy 
 all the fancies of my heart; for I know that thy wisdom and 
 

 WITH GOD 
 
 thy bounty are unlimited, and that thou bestowest upon me 
 whatever is profitable for me. Sooner can the annihilated 
 earth be reduced to that void from which thy word called 
 it forth, than them fulfil not that which thou hast promised. 
 Thy knowledge and thy beneficence have no term to their 
 continuance ; this certainty is and shall remain my bosom 
 comfort ; and therefore dare I be joyful in hope, even when 
 sadness overshadows the present, and the prospect before me 
 appears dreary and cheerless. 
 
 
 APRIL 30. 
 
 Self 'examination at the Close of the Month 
 
 How momentous are the questions that on this day, in which 
 I see the termination of another month, it especially behoves 
 me to put to my heart ! A strict examination of my con- 
 duct and disposition of mind during the brief portion of the 
 year now nearly finished, must in its result be undoubtedly 
 humiliating to me ; yet I will not shun it, or conceal from 
 myself aught that may tend to render me better. This self- 
 scrutiny will make still more remarkable to me the good- 
 ness of God and teach me the necessity of calling upon him 
 for his grace and indulgence. 
 
 Inexpressibly great, O God, have been the proofs granted 
 to me of thy benevolence in the days that are now just elapsed. 
 But has the display of thy kindness impressed me with a pro- 
 portionably deep veneration ? Was my heart affected and 
 thankful when thou blessedst and cheeredst it? Innumer- 
 able were thy invitations to this feeling. Every pleasure 
 which I enjoyed was a voice that exhorted me to gratitude. 
 Every deliverance from impending evil confirmed and re- 
 peated the same incitement, and produced for me an oppor- 
 tunity of exercising the heavenly occupation of praise, to 
 which I was thus favourably allured. Was it my delight to 
 consider thy blessings, and my most agreeable duty to pro- 
 claim them ? All things declared to me thy powerful love. 
 But did thy tenderness so prevail with me that I in return 
 loved thee with my whole heart and my whole soul? Was 
 
182 MORNINO COMMUNINGS 
 
 it the primary object of my solicitude so to direct my life tha* 
 its approval in thy all-seeing eyes might be insured ? Did 
 I to thy will, to thy honour, to thy service, present the com- 
 plete oblation of all my inclinations, of my pride, and my 
 worldly advantages ? 
 
 And what was my behaviour towards those whom thou 
 hast allotted to me for brethren ? Was my heart warm with 
 brotherly affection? Was I sincerely careful for their wel- 
 fare and their happiness? Were all occasions dear to me on 
 which I could relieve the poor, comfort the wretched, assist 
 the unfortunate ? Was I prompt in reconciliation, or prone 
 to nourish malice and indulge revenge ? Did I cherish my 
 friends ? Did I bless them that cursed me ? Did I requite 
 with good those who hated me? Did I pray for such as 
 wronged and persecuted me? Was my heart submissive 
 and moderate in prosperity, and in adversity full of fortitude 
 and confidence? Can I say that I have really lived, that I 
 have not dreamed nor squandered away the weeks that are 
 gone ? Can I look back to them with tranquil satisfaction, 
 or have I not reason to fear that in regard to my righteous- 
 ness I shall be found wanting, and fall into disgrace ! 
 
 O ! how could I hide anything from thee the searcher of 
 hearts ; from thee, the Omniscient, Holy, and Just ? Alas ! 
 wert thou to enter into judgment with me even on account of 
 this one month, of which I now approach to the close, how 
 could I stand before thee who art the explorer of the secrets 
 of the silent thought, who art the pure and upright Judge? 
 My desert would be that thou shouldst this moment abridge 
 my existence, and destroy a creature no longer worthy of thy 
 mercy. I should deserve that thou shouldst abandon me to 
 my own guilty wretchedness. But calling to mind the grace 
 which my Redeemer has obtained for me, still do I suppli- 
 cate thee with reliance and hope. Prolong yet further the 
 term of my probation, and let me through thy assistance be 
 brought to such a better state that I may never again dissi- 
 pate my invaluable time in so unjustifiable a manner. Grant 
 me thy Spirit that it may rule me, and gift me with an obe- 
 dient heart, that will no longer mistake and slight its own 
 well-being. I will walk before thee in devoutness. Be thou, 
 O God, my shield, and my exceeding great reward. 
 

 WITH GOD. 183 
 
 MAY 1. 
 
 The Spring Morning. 
 
 AT this pleasing season of the year every object prompts me 
 to admire and contemplate my (Creator, Whether I look to- 
 wards the heavens or the earth I discover everywhere occa- 
 sion for astonishment and rapture. Nature's whole domain 
 is gloriously adorned; the splendour of the awakening sun, 
 the jubilee of all breathing things, the melody of the birds, 
 the verdure of the fields, whatever strikes my vision or my 
 ear, announce to me the greatness of the adorable author of 
 my being. To him at this natal hour of day the incense of 
 thanksgiving arises from the universal altar of creation. The 
 lark hails with his symphonies the break of light; the en- 
 chanting magnificence of the rural amphitheatre, each flower, 
 each blade of grass, each blossoming tree, each newly-arrayed 
 meadow excite glad songs of praise. How can 1, at such a 
 spectacle, remain silent or insensible ! How can I hesitate 
 to join the concert of gratitude, and to worship that bounteous 
 God who executes such mighty works, and by his will per- 
 forms such noble miracles ! How highly I am esteemed by 
 my Maker ! Through his goodness I am raised far above all 
 other creatures, therefore must it be my endeavour by piety 
 and obedience to evince myself to be worthy of my exalted 
 privilege. In this duty I will allow myself to be surpassed 
 by nothing that exists. I will lend my tongue to the inferior 
 race of beings, and their speechless acknowledgments shall 
 be made vocal in my re-echoed strains. 
 
 Yet how can I duly laud thee, thou Ineffable ! Thou art 
 too elevated that my comprehension should soar to thy sub- 
 limity, or my voice express the attributes of thy majesty. 
 How can I by my veneration honour the Eternal, who speak- 
 eth and it cometh to pass, who commanded! and it is exe- 
 cuted ; whose strong hand retains the solar orb in its course, 
 and keeps the sea within its coasts ; whose wisdom shows it- 
 self as excellent and as deserving of homage in the meanest in- 
 sect as in the vast fabric of the globe ! How can I humble 
 myself sufficiently before the Omnipotent, who has produced 
 all these innumerable worlds, which, revolving round their 
 proper suns, crowd the regions of boundless space ! How 
 
184 MORNING COMMUNINGS 
 
 little art thou, O mortal, thou child of dust, beside the Al- 
 mighty, who reigneth from everlasting to everlasting ! Cast 
 thyself prostrate at the feet of him who gave thee a living 
 soul. Confess that he is all, that thou thyself art nothing. 
 Seek thy own greatness only in the possession of an under- 
 standing capable of knowing God, and of a heart that can 
 with reverential awe appreciate his infinite worthiness and 
 power. This gift makes thee a lord of the earth, and brings 
 with it the utmost felicity. Thus illuminated, thy soul unfolds 
 to thee a thousand charms, which would otherwise escape thy 
 observation, and renders them at once a source of pleasure 
 and devotion. Through this influence of the Spirit thou art 
 qualified rightly to admire the productions of thy Creator, to 
 exalt thyself above this sublunary sphere, and in higher 
 realms to enjoy the presence of God, and be like to him and 
 magnify him for ever. Ah ! if thou art indeed destined to so 
 eminent a state of happiness and glory, already here must thy 
 mind be occupied with thy heavenly Father, who shall here- 
 after be the sole, unceasirg subject of thy worship, thy love, thy 
 praise. Employ thy faculties to his honour, and when thou 
 perceivest how little thou art able perfectly to extol him, 
 submit thyself humbly to his wisdom and government. 
 
 MAY 2. 
 
 Conviction of God's Providence* 
 
 WHAT a happiness is it for me to believe in and to put my 
 trust in a Providence ! Can indeed any tranquillity of the 
 mind, or any satisfaction of the soul, be greater than that 
 which rests on the conviction that I am under the care of an 
 invisible Being, who is infinitely good, powerful, and wise ? 
 Can I have any better-grounded hope than if I submit my- 
 self to that God who had me already in charge while I was 
 yet a shapeless embryo, and forecast, and predisposed, even 
 thus early, all that I should stand in need of during my 
 whole life ; who numbered my days, laid the foundation of 
 my prosperity, limited my future misfortunes, and also or- 
 dered them in such a manner that they should tend ulti- 
 

 WITH GOD. 185 
 
 mately to my welfare ? Can any earthly felicity be more 
 perfect than that which is erected on this faith and on this as- 
 surance ? And why, O my soul, is it sometimes difficult for 
 thee to adopt this persuasion ? Why thro west thou so often 
 thy confidence away from thee ? though thou knowest how 
 great a recompense it has ! Is it not because, in thy folly, 
 thou desirest that thy thoughts should be God's thoughts ? 
 O ! look to the precious promises which the Lord has imparted 
 to thee in his word : observe the fate of those who have re- 
 lied on the Omniscient ; and learn from all thy reflections 
 that the Almighty provides for thee with paternal fidelity and 
 divine wisdom. 
 
 Irrefragable proofs of this fact rise everywhere around 
 me. I must call in question the brightness of the sun, the 
 reality of the multitudinous systems of distant worlds which 
 publish the glory of the Deity, and even doubt of my own 
 identity, if I can be at all in doubt in regard to the provi- 
 dential superintendence of my God. Then is it my bounden 
 duty to manifest my faith through my works, and this very 
 day to banish all anxiety respecting the morrow. I must, 
 therefore, live conformably to conviction; industriously, 
 watchfully, and prudently, yet free from apprehension, full of 
 affiance, and joyful in expectation. Yes, like a fond child, 
 will I rely on the solicitude of my wise and benevolent 
 Father ; yield myself obediently to his commands, and con- 
 sider only how I may become more and more worthy of his 
 goodness through steadfastness arid zeal in my calling. Yea, 
 though he should even seem to withdraw from me his pro- 
 tection, yet will I not be dispirited, but even as did Job, will 
 as firmly as I can, under every afflicting trial, remain stead- 
 fast in my faith : till my end comes I will not swerve from 
 my hope. Nay, even though he should destroy my life, still 
 will I trust in him. 
 
 Could I establish myself in this holy disposition of soul, 
 all the vicissitudes of my life, all the attacks of calamity 
 which I either experience or dread, would be unable to shake 
 my fortitude, or to weaken my confidence. Amid embarrass- 
 ments and disquietudes, under evils both present and im- 
 pending, I should feel cheerful and calm, should be able to 
 compose my bosom with patience, and enjoy my existence 
 with thankfulness. I should even this day experience none 
 
186 MORNING COMMUNINGS 
 
 of that vexation with which the greater part of mankind is 
 tormented. I should praise God for the past, avail myself 
 contentedly of ray present lot, and await my future destiny 
 without terror. O God, strengthen my faith, and render me 
 evermore deserving of thy gracious providence. 
 
 MAY 3. 
 
 The Voice of God in Expostulations, Warnings, and 
 Chastisements. 
 
 SPARED by thee, O God, to behold another morning, again 
 do I hear that warning voice which exhorts me to acknow- 
 ledge the excess of thy goodness, and carefully to take heed 
 of the time allotted for my salvation. This invitation is so 
 audible, and accompanied by such a gentle earnestness, that 
 I should be utterly without defence were I to disobey the 
 summons. But how little have 1 hitherto heeded thy voice, 
 my God and my Lord ! I heard it indeed it startled me ; I 
 thought of it for a time ; but I speedily forgot it again, and 
 obliterated the impression which it had made on my heart. 
 O ! how often, when in pondering upon thy word I was 
 savingly moved, and through the force of thy Spirit awak- 
 ened from my slumber, have I recognised thy parental coun- 
 sels in the emotions of my conscience ' How often didst 
 thou call me back from the way of sin, by placing before my 
 eyes the appalling example of miserable transgressors, over- 
 taken by perdition in the middle of the steep down which 
 they dissolutely ran ! How often didst thou invite me to 
 seek thee, through the secret terrors of remorse, through the 
 sorrows of my breast, and through the uneasiness with 
 which my heart was burned by sin ! How powerful was 
 thy solicitation, so often as I approached the altar which re- 
 minded me of the vows of my infancy ! How did thy voice 
 strike me as 1 lay on the bed of sickness, and with trembling 
 and fear expected the message that shoidd summon me before 
 thy tribunal 1 And how sweet, how kind, how irresistible, 
 has been the persuasion of thy blessings ! As every day 
 thou openedst thy hand to bless me with thy bounty, rescuedst 
 

 WITH GOD. 187 
 
 me from numerous perils, preserveclst for me my life and my 
 breath ; O ! how eloquently didst thou speak to me through 
 the demonstrations of thy favour how tenderly didst thou 
 thus allure me to thee by thy compassion ! 
 
 But how often was I insensible to thy expostulation, un- 
 affected by thy enticements, indifferent and light-minded ! 
 Thou stretchedst out thy arms to me, but I would not yield 
 myself to thy embrace. The louder thy cry was that I 
 should approach, the further I fled from thee. But shall I 
 always be so destitute of feeling ? The mountains hear thy 
 voice and quake ; the sea recoils at thy reproof; all nature 
 is attentive to thy lips. The heavens are mute, and the an- 
 gels hide their countenances, at thy command. Shall man 
 alone then shut his ears against thee alone be neither in- 
 fluenced nor roused? Alas! with how much shame does 
 the reflection overwhelm me ! How would all thy creatures, 
 how would this dawning morn, accuse me before thee should 
 I yet longer continue obdurate! Would even that last voice 
 of thunder, which shall cite me to thy judgment, terrify me, 
 if now thy voice of favour fails to touch me ? 
 
 No ; thou merciful God, let me not experience that fright- 
 ful voice. Nay, argue with me still in thy warnings, thy 
 chastisements, thy benefactions. Utter but thy word, I will 
 hear, I will obey. Whatever thou this day biddest me to 
 do, I will perform it ; wheresoever thou directest me to go, 
 I will follow thee ; whatever thou appointest to me, be it 
 good or evil, I will receive it with joy, endure it with resig- 
 nation. I will submit my thoughts and my wishes to thy 
 ordinance, and unlock my heart to Christ, who standeth at 
 the porch. I will listen to thee that thou mayst give heed to 
 me when I supplicate thee in agony of mind. 
 
 MAY 4. 
 
 The Nature of the Soul. 
 
 AMID the laborious researches which we institute to inquire 
 into the nature and existence of the human soul, we gene- 
 rally overlook the duties which we ought chiofly to observe 
 in relation to the soul itself. It is true, so much mvsterv 
 
 OF THK 
 
 [UHI7BRSIT7) 
 
188 MORNING COMMUNIN35 
 
 presents itself to the investigator of the invisible spirit of 
 man, that the most powerful understanding is forced to pause 
 and confess its own incapacity. That, however, which 
 evinces to us the high value of the soul, and instigates us to 
 the assiduous preservation of it, is so evident and clear that 
 the meanest comprehension may receive conviction. And to 
 reflect on these important points forms the essential duty of 
 all to whom God has vouchsafed so precious a gift as that 
 of a soul. 
 
 How incalculable must be its worth, since in order to se- 
 cure for it a blessed immortality, and to snatch it from per- 
 dition, God sent even his only-begotten Son into the world ! 
 How dear must my soul be to the Almighty, since he, whose 
 Father is the Omnipotent, was constrained to shed his blood 
 for its ransom ! How estimable must my soul be in the con- 
 sideration of the Deity, since for its instruction he has dis- 
 closed his revelation, and for its ministration appointed the 
 celestial spirits who in perfect bliss encircle his throne re- 
 joicing and worshipping ! If the Creator himself has em- 
 ployed such extraordinary means to render my soul capable 
 of everlasting felicity, what culpable ingratitude would it 
 display, should I wish to do only those things which might 
 deprive me of this vast advantage ! God has taken the 
 most signal measures to save my soul ; what madness would 
 it then be, should I exert all my efforts to destroy it 1 How 
 unworthy should I be of that blessedness for which God has 
 called it into existence, or what could I give to redeem my 
 soul were it lost through sin and levity ? 
 
 The loss of the soul's peace is irremediable. No earthly 
 power, no penitence, no humiliation, can render back to me, 
 if once forfeited, my spiritual tranquillity. And can I then 
 think of this without straining every nerve to obviate so 
 severe a visitation ? Ah ! nothing ought so much to excite 
 my zeal my solicitude to guard the safety of my soul. No- 
 thing ought to have so much mastership over my heart as to 
 induce me to be unmindful of the immense value of my soul 
 and its salvation. What do all pleasures profit me, if my 
 conscience is not at ease? What will all the treasures of the 
 world be to me, if my soul must despond and languish in the 
 midst of them ? What can the gain of the world serve me, 
 if I lose my own soul ? 
 

 WITH GOD. 189 
 
 Would that these sentiments might retain effectual sway 
 over me during the whole day. Temptations enough will 
 assail me, through which I may be deprived of the happiness 
 and the composure of an approving conscience. Soon will 
 the lusts of the world, soon will the charms of carnal pos- 
 sessions, so closely besiege my heart, that I may forget the 
 claims of my soul. Then, O Jesus, let thy grace rescue me 
 in my peril, and so restrain me that I may not plunge this 
 soul into perdition ; let thy cross strengthen me to fight 
 boldly against all iniquity; and let the spectacle of that 
 heaven, to which I am to be lifted up, powerfully elevate my 
 soul towards thee, and incite it to strive only for the things 
 above ! 
 
 MAY 5. 
 
 The Misery of Man abandoned to himself. 
 
 IF I were abandoned to my own strength ; if I did not be- 
 lieve in a God, on whom all nature depends, who orders the 
 course of all things, who embraces all creatures under his 
 care and providence, and who regulates all events w r ith wis- 
 dom and goodness; and if I knew not that this omnipotent 
 Creator is my Father and my God also, what would the 
 world become to me, what would become of myself? In 
 danger I should have no refuge ; in trouble no consolation ; 
 in prosperity no satisfaction ; in adversity no hope ; and in 
 death no tranquillity. How desperate, lost, and wretched 
 would my condition be ! Would it riot be better that I had 
 never been born than that I should live here immured in 
 such palpable darkness, and be totally ignorant of God ? 
 
 How could I look with pleasure on this morning's vernal 
 sun ; how could I enter upon my new career of existence 
 without terror and alarm, if I believed not in God the Father 
 Almighty, Maker of heaven and earth ? But as I joyfully 
 and firmly hold this persuasion, and the Spirit of the Lord 
 powerfully convinces me of its truth, I can look forward 
 without uneasiness to all the events of fate, and be composed 
 in the most critical situations of life. 
 
 Am I inclined to sadness at the apprehension of disas- 
 
190 MORNING COMMUNINGS 
 
 trous times that may hereafter break forth ; I am comforted 
 by the thought that God can in a moment change the most 
 menacing aspect of things, since to him nothing is imprac- 
 ticable. " Though the world itself should crumble into atoms, 
 God would remain my trust and my support. Do I dread 
 the persecution, the hatred, and thg malignity of enemies, 
 God can cover rue under the shadow of his wings, and sub- 
 due the most revengeful passions of my foes. Arn I in 
 peril from the secret machinations of the wicked, God can 
 bring the purposes of the impious to nought; for all wisdom 
 and strength are his. Do poverty and need overtake me, it 
 is God who impoverished! and enricheth, who woundeth 
 and healeth : he can change indigence and necessity into 
 wealth and abundance. Do I fall into violent sickness in 
 which nature struggles with death courage ! God will not 
 abandon me, if I forsake not him : he will render my pains 
 supportable, revive my daunted fortitude, cheer my heart 
 with his comfort, defend me against the attacks of the last 
 assailant, and receive my soul into the bosom of his mercy. 
 
 Thus am I enabled to console myself under every occur- 
 rence, and to rejoice in the gracious dispensations of my God. 
 The Ruler of the world is that infinitely beneficent Deity 
 who loves me, and whose delight it is to do good ; who 
 knows all my wants ; and who is strong to protect me, 
 though the whole race of man should be united against me. 
 His eyes are watchful over me both day and night, and in 
 the midst of the wrath which I have deservedly excited by 
 my transgressions, he remembers his mercy and grace in 
 Christ Jesus. All-exalted as he is, he considers the lowly, 
 and has compassion on the least of his creatures. Halle- 
 lujah ! for the Lord Almighty reigneth. I will be glad and 
 rejoice, and to him ascribe honour for ever. 
 
 MAY 6 
 
 Clinging to the Lord as our Defender, Father, and Guide. 
 
 How greatly does the thought comfort and elevate me, my 
 God and my Lord, that thou over remainest what thou art: 
 
WITH GOD. 191 
 
 that thy years know no end; that I possess in thee a prj- 
 tector and a guide, of whom neither time nor death can de- 
 prive me, a Father who does not even then cease to love me 
 when, in the folly and the weakness of my heart, I render 
 myself undeserving of his favour ; and a mighty defender 
 not only for the season of distress, but for the hour of temp- 
 tation ! For what would my feeble and dispirited heart effect 
 if thou, O God, wert not strong 11 my infirmity? if thou, 
 through the operation of thy Spirit, didst not infuse into my 
 mind the inclination to be zirtuous, and then enable me to 
 follow its impulse? if thou, through thy promises and thy 
 grace, didst not restore my falling courage? O! how sooth- 
 ing is it to my heart that thou wilt to-day also arm it with force 
 to meet the moment of trial, if I only think of thee, and 
 trust in thee ! How do I exult in the recollection that thou 
 art not far from me with thy Spirit ; and that I dare to rest 
 my hopes in thy support! For I feel and confess, that with- 
 out thee I am nothing ; and that thy warnings alone can 
 preserve me, thy promise alone console me, thy rewards 
 alone fortify and excite me. 
 
 But so surely as I dare to anticipate thy aid, in like mea- 
 sure should I be culpable if I watched not over myself, and 
 strove not, in godly fear, to work out my salvation ; for to 
 this end hast thou furnished me, thou bountiful Giver of all 
 good gifts, with the endowments of reason, conscience, and 
 faith ; to this end thou hast granted to me thy holy word, 
 and the sacred, unquenchable feeling of repentance and 
 shame ; and to this end likewise hast tho i set before me the 
 encouraging example of my Saviour. O ! then be this day 
 my zeal and my endeavour above everything, directed to pu- 
 rifying and confirming my heart, that I may adhere to thee 
 and walk in thy way. May the evening bear me witness that 
 I have continued true to this pious resolution ; and may I at 
 night be able to reflect with tranquillity and cheerfulness on 
 the labours of the day, through Jesus Christ. Amen. 
 
 
192 MORNING COMMUNINGS 
 
 MAY 7. 
 Peace of the Soul. 
 
 THOU longest for rest, O my soul, and findest it not, because 
 thou hast not yet freed thyself from that which has hitherto 
 robbed thee of peace, and loaded thee with vexation and care. 
 Hast thou at any time seen an avaricious man who could ever 
 be joyful from his heart ? Knowest thou any of the great 
 ones of the earth who spend their days without being often 
 disappointed, disquieted, and burdensome to themselves? 
 Which of them can say to the thunder, " Thou shalt not reach 
 me ? " or to the rolling billow, ff Thou shalt not overtake me ? " 
 Learn then thy own imbecility. Canst thou command pros- 
 perity, that it shall follow thee; or adversity, that it shall de- 
 part far from thee ? Call to the spring to tarry yet a little 
 longer with its sweetness ; charge the fragrant bloom of the 
 rose that it vanish not so speedily ; they will not obey thee, 
 and thou shalt in vain nourish thy impotent wish. Abandon 
 therefore the created, and seek the Creator. Cast the whole 
 weight which oppresses thee upon Him, and by Him suffer 
 thyself to be refreshed. Jesus died for thee. In this grand 
 idea, whatever can cheer thee is contained. Now and hence- 
 forward thou canst hope for all without fearing that thy ex- 
 pectations will be deluded. Desires, passions, voluptuousness, 
 self-love, and everything that occasions thy mental pain will 
 fly from thee, and thou in the light of God's countenance 
 shalt be glad. Peace and hilarity will smile around thee. 
 No spring-day sun shall beam so serenely as thy days and 
 nights will shine. Thou wilt be gifted with a composure of 
 mind completely subject to the control of thy God, and will 
 be as satisfied with a little, as if thou possessedst the whole 
 earth with all its glory. The joys of the world to come will 
 exalt thee above all the mutability, the uneasiness, and the 
 troubles, of thy present abode. 
 
 Soul, that at the dawn of this day groanest after rest, O ! 
 avail thyself of the means which shall appease all thy sighs. 
 Seek not quietude in those remedies which lull thy heart indeed 
 asleep, but only to render it more miserable, and which can- 
 not grant it lasting and true repose. Represent often and ex- 
 
WITH GOD. 193 
 
 pressively to thyself that final change to which thou hastenest. 
 That which tranquillizes thee not in death is no permanent 
 good. But that which tempers the bitterness of dissolution, 
 will sweeten thy life also : and nought, nought will do this 
 except an unsullied conscience. Be strenuous then to pro- 
 cure this treasure, and thou wilt ohtain in it all that is requi- 
 site to make thee a most happy and contented being. A pure 
 conscience will prove a buckler against every calamity ; it 
 will give an extraordinary relish to the gratifications of life, 
 and render the misery of thy pilgrimage supportable. 
 
 O God, neither for this day nor for any of my future ones 
 can I supplicate a greater blessing than a good conscience. 
 Be the fate which thou appointest and ordainest to me what 
 it may ; let death assault me when he will, I shall be in no 
 respect unhappy if I hold my conscience undefiled. 
 
 MAY 8. 
 ^Amendment of Life. 
 
 EVERY new day a new invitation excites me to the amend- 
 ment of my heart ; for every new day brings with it fresh 
 proofs of God's fatherly goodness, and new experiences of his 
 grace. Though I have already slighted so many summons 
 to grace, yet the Lord is not weary of calling to me. Alas ! 
 I must take contrition to myself, long-suffering God, that I 
 have not so acknowledged thy grace as it deserved, and as 
 thou mightest well expect from me. How many means hast 
 thou not employed to awaken me ere now to repentance? 
 But, ah ! thy favour was lavished in vain, or at least it pro- 
 duced not in me the fruit which it ought to have brought 
 forth. Otherwise how much nearer must I long since have 
 come to thee ? How much more must I have been exercised 
 in the habit of self-denial ! How resplendent in holiness and 
 righteousness would thy Spirit already shine in me ! Yet 
 have patience with me, merciful Father ! Withdraw not thy 
 grace from me, though I have so frequently abused it. Let 
 me waste no more the time of my salvation, but this day, this 
 very day, seek thy countenance. 
 
 
194 MORNING COMMUNINGS 
 
 
 Yes, even to day. How should I delay my repentance till 
 to-morrow, or any more distant period ? Am I certain that 
 I shall be alive to-morrow? And though I should live, 
 though I should attain to an advanced old age, and at last 
 meet death on a couch of lingering disease, am I certain that 
 it will then be possible for me to procure the grace of God, or 
 that I shall then still possess strength enough for the essential 
 purpose of reformation ? May not my conscience, against the 
 warnings of which I have so long hardened myself, become 
 at last silent and insensible? May not even that divine 
 grace, which I have so long contemned, become wholly indif- 
 ferent to me ? May not those truths, death, judgment, and 
 eternity, lose at length all influence over my heart? Such 
 probabilities change, for a vast number of the dying, into the 
 most frightful realities. And what if I should belong to this 
 multitude, who see too late that they have been fools and for- 
 feited their salvation ? 
 
 No : instructed by so many warnings, excited by my con- 
 science, and bound in duty by my faith, I will act more 
 wisely and more in the fear of God. However hard it may 
 be for my heart to renounce sin, I will shun no conflict, recoi 1 
 before no obstacle. To-day, while I have still sufficient force, 
 to-day will I begin to alter my life and disposition ; and in the 
 evening my conscience shall testify to me, that I have endea- 
 voured to make myself better, and that I have lived before 
 God. How can I procrastinate, I, who am approaching every 
 day nearer to the grave and judgment ? 
 
 MAY 9. 
 
 The Omnipresence of God. 
 
 GOD is everywhere. What a sublime heart-elevating 
 thought is this ! When I contemplate the immense magni- 
 tude of this our globe ; when I consider, that a body flying 
 with the utmost imaginable rapidity would require more 
 than twenty years to reach our sun ; when I recollect, that 
 the countless multitude of stars are actually themselves suns, 
 although they appear to my eyes only as illuminated points. 
 
WITH GOD. 195 
 
 because they are fixed at a distance so much greater from 
 the earth than the orb which enlightens it, how incomprehen- 
 sible must the idea seem to me, that God oversees the world 
 even to its smallest part, that he is present to all worlds, and 
 knows all that happens, even to the most minute animal ! 
 Notwithstanding all the inconceivableness of this idea, cer- 
 tain however it is, that God is everywhere ; God is at once 
 nigh to the whole world and to me also. Shall then a God, 
 who has so skilfully ordered the vast universe of creation, 
 without exception of the meanest worm that craw Is shall 
 not he possess understanding and intelligence sufficient to 
 know all things? Shall he that formed the spirit be igno- 
 rant of the thoughts, conceptions, and purposes of the soul ? 
 What can confine the Infinite? What can limit the Immea- 
 surable ? What knowledge can be wanting to the Omni- 
 scient ? What power can set bounds to the Almighty? 
 
 Be struck with amazement, O my soul, at this contem- 
 plation ! Who can sufficiently admire that infinite intelli- 
 gence which superintends the whole incalculable creation, 
 that knows and understands everything, that numbers with 
 a single glance the lights of heaven and the hairs of the 
 head ? Who can enough admire that amplitude of power 
 which is continually employed in all places, and at the ends 
 of the earth ; which, at the same time that it restrains the 
 spheres within their orbits, forms and provides alike for the 
 grovelling insect and the birds of the air? Yet be not 
 merely wrapt in astonishment, O my soul, but let the con- 
 viction of these truths influence likewise thy sentiments. 
 It must become thy most predominant thought, that the 
 Omniscient and Omnipresent is ever near to thee ; that God 
 penetrates with a look to the lowest depths of the heart ; 
 that he knows thee to the core ; and perceives each rising 
 lust, each concealed desire, and every original impulse of 
 thy conduct ; that no spot is so remote, no corner so dark, 
 that he cannot behold thee. And these considerations, while 
 they erect for thee a bulwark against evil, will also open to 
 thee a never-failing source of consolation. The remem- 
 brance of the all-present Deity will cheer thee, when thou 
 weepest in secret; when thou endurest afflictions, which 
 thou canst not reveal to any mortal being ; and when thou 
 canst expect no human aid. Through the same reflection 
 
196 MORNING COMMUNINGS 
 
 thou wilt likewise be supported under the various vicissitudes 
 of life. Thou mayest go where thou wilt, thou walkest 
 everywhere visible to the providence of God, under whose 
 sway the earth and firmament subsist ; who sees from his 
 throne all the dwellers of the world ; who regulates all the 
 resolutions and actions of men ; and who takes care without 
 end for thy deliverance and salvation. 
 
 MAY 10. 
 
 The Following the Example of Jesus. 
 
 WHAT more salutary plan can I pursue on this new entrance 
 which I make into the world, than to present to myself my 
 Jesus as a pattern, and strive to shape my life according to 
 his example. This is my destination, my honour, and my 
 happiness. The nearer I approach to Jesus, the nearer I 
 advance to my own real felicity ; the further I depart from 
 him, the further I leave behind me my true interest and my 
 eternal appointment. O ! be it then my most earnest endea- 
 vour and most zealous wish to follow my Saviour with a ready 
 and cheerful heart, both in what he performed and what 
 he suffered ! His image shall be before my eyes in all that 
 I do. I will ask myself, " Would my Redeemer have acted 
 thus under similar circumstances ? Would he have yielded 
 to such a temptation, or fled from such a conflict ? Would 
 he have received such wrongs with vexation, or would he 
 under such an injury have manifested calmness or anger? 
 Would he at the spectacle of this miserable being have re- 
 mained so stern and so insensible?" But if 1 am obliged to 
 reply negatively to these interrogations, and confess my dis- 
 position to be unchristian, how dare I thus permit myself to 
 be downcast, wrathful, and pitiless, and yet call myself his 
 disciple, and account myself one of the redeemed ? O ! 
 how beneficial arid necessary is it, therefore, to me to keep 
 his example perpetually in my view, and accustom myself to 
 the reiterated contemplation of his cross ; to reject all the 
 futile though enticing pleasures of the world, by which I am 
 surrounded; and to use all industry to imita'e that copy of 
 
WITH GOD. 197 
 
 mental resignation, lowliness, patience, and truth, which 
 Jesus has given and bequeathed to me as the rule of my 
 conduct. And out of thy sufferings, my Redeemer, will I 
 provide for myself strength to confirm me in this godly exer- 
 cise. If here I have been like to thee in holiness and humi- 
 lity, so shall I hereafter be like to thee in felicity and glory. 
 Still how insufficient am 1, if thy Spirit does not itself 
 empower me to follow thee ! But, God be praised, the 
 streams yet flow to me, from which I may draw invigora- 
 tion and grace ! Through thy aid, O Jesus, will I subdue 
 the corruption of my heart, my obstinacy, my fickleness, my 
 lusts. Through thee I will bear about with me the image 
 that makes me worthy of all respect of mankind, and even 
 acceptable to thy Father himself. Through the potency of 
 thy pangs I will overcome the obstacles, vanquish all temp- 
 tations ; and be at last able to render back my spirit into the 
 hands of the Lord, with the same tranquillity of mind as 
 thou didst resign thine. Through thee shall I then be ad- 
 milted into that assembly of the glorified, who have followed 
 thee in faith. 
 
 MAY 11. 
 
 God's unceasing Affection towards his Children. 
 
 WHAT can be for me and my fellow-sinners more consola- 
 tory and encouraging than the thought, that God regards 
 his children with favour and approbation when they are 
 earnest and ardent to fulfil his views and his commands, and 
 to do good to one another ? What would be wanting to my 
 happiness and contentment, did my conscience bear me wit- 
 ness, that through faith, obedience, and love, I am become 
 worthy of thy divine grace? Dare I congratulate myself 
 on this testimony? Did I never murmur when God doomed 
 me to affliction, or make my heart heavy with care ? Was 
 I always ready to yield in humble reliance to the decrees of 
 Providence ? Have I never sought my temporal prosperity 
 by other means than those of rectitude and truth ? Has 
 God's grace been above all things to me ever precious and 
 
198 MORNING COMMUNINGS 
 
 dear? Alas! how sensible am I that E have often hown 
 myself undeserving of the favour of my heavenly Father, 
 and often in the weakness of my heart offended against him. 
 But thou, O Lord, and universal Parent, art long-suffering, 
 patient, and of great goodness : thou enterest not into judg- 
 ment with thy creatures. How much comfort, tranquillity, 
 and exultation does this belief convey to me ! How strongly 
 does it confirm the resolution of my soul to walk before thee, 
 my God, in piety and sincerity, and through filial obedience 
 to procure for myself some further claim to thy mercy! Yes, 
 it is now my firm purpose to labour for thy applause alone, 
 thou just and holy God, and not for the arbitrary acclaim of 
 men ; in stillness arid secrecy to do the works of benefi- 
 cence ; to strive assiduously to cleanse my heart ; and to 
 submit myself with reverence to thy ordinances, even when 
 they run in opposition to my own wishes. Thus will my 
 heart be shielded against all the temptations which attend 
 ambition and the love of fame : thus I shall enjoy uninter- 
 rupted peace of mind, arid be able to look forward full of 
 hope to the uncertain future. 
 
 MAY 12. 
 
 Daily Blessings. 
 
 EVERY day has its vexations ; but every day has also its 
 blessings and its joys. To convince thyself of this, O my 
 soul, compare thy daily troubles with thy daily happiness. 
 What is it that I have daily to suffer ? I feel perhaps the 
 irksomeness of labour, the sharpness of poverty; I expe- 
 rience, perhaps, the irritation arising from some slander or 
 wrong directed against me by my neighbour ; it may be that 
 the infirmities of my fragile frame afflict me ; that I live in 
 contest with my passions ; or I may have some private sor- 
 row, some hidden cause of misery, which forces sighs from 
 my bosom. Whether a part only of these griefs, or all of 
 them united, be this day destined to me, still I must confess, 
 notwithstanding, that each day has its blessings. The sun- 
 beam that warms me, the draught that solaces the cravings of 
 
WITH GOD. 199 
 
 my thirst, the food which gratifies my appetite, the sleep 
 which invigorates me, all these are blessings. Every day 
 the patience of God bears with me ; every day his Spirit 
 operates on my heart; every day I am permitted to edify myself 
 through the word of the Lord ; every day I can send up my 
 prayers to his celestial abode ; these are my daily joys. And 
 where remain my extraordinary blessings and benefits? The 
 friends, in whose embrace I find contentment ; the agreeable 
 intelligence of some wished-for or unexpected event ; a vic- 
 tory over my heart; some prosperous occurrence, which 
 I had not anticipated ; and even, out of every vexation, the 
 blessing of being humble, endued with foresight, and resigned, 
 are not these pure benefits, which indemnify me for all my 
 concomitant distresses ? And is not the day itself, in which 
 I live, a free gift of grace ? I say, my life is short ; but a day 
 is yet shorter than life, and a trouble shorter than a day ; 
 while God's grace endureth for ever. 
 
 Would that I might, by this consideration, be prompted to 
 moderate my woes, and to silence my complaints ! Would 
 that I might as carefully reckon up the blessings received 
 from God, as, to the increase of my torment, I am industrious 
 to enumerate my grievances ! On no day shall I be bereft of 
 opportunities of observing the goodness of my heavenly 
 Father, if I am only attentive to his ways ; and I shall every 
 day, however pregnant it may be with disappointments, be 
 still compelled to praise him, if I have but trust in his go- 
 vernance, and comfort myself under all circumstances in 
 patience and hope. 
 
 O soul, cease from thy wailings. What is it that disturbs 
 thee ? Perhaps some deceived expectation of sensual plea- 
 sure that would alienate thee from God ! Perhaps some evil 
 which thy simple understanding deems an advantage ! Per- 
 haps some object which restrains thee in thy headlong course! 
 And thou would on this account lament? No : be comforted 
 and undismayed, and cling to the Lord. Forget not the good 
 which the Lord does to thee, even when he chastises thee. 
 Constantly consider thy destination, and the end for which 
 God has placed thee on the earth. The vicissitudes of thy life 
 ought to remind thee of the vanity of the world, and the per- 
 manent delights of the second and perpetual Paradise. Soon 
 will dawn those blissful days of eternity, in which there shall 
 
200 MORNING COMMUNINGS 
 
 be no woes, but only unmixed ecstasy ; no punishments, but 
 only perfect grace ; no sighs, but only songs of praise. Then 
 wilt thou forget all thy afflictions 5 or if thou shouldst remem- 
 ber them, thou wilt rejoice that every day had its vexations. 
 
 MAY 13. 
 
 The Providence and Equity of God justified. 
 
 MY web of life is interwoven with many a gloomy destiny. 
 I know not where the way will end, in which the providence 
 of God calls me to proceed. I see plans long since projected 
 remaining still unaccomplished, and find myself in a laby- 
 rinth, out of which I perceive no issue; I discover in the fu- 
 ture, events which seem to argue against the kindness of God's 
 purposes ; and a distribution of his gifts, which casts me into 
 profound and melancholy meditations. Many of my fellow- 
 mortals have, without exertion, or through injustice, attained 
 that summit of prosperity, to which I, with all my best di- 
 rected efforts, have not been able to rise. One man enjoys 
 health in the midst of his dissipation ; another is afflicted, in 
 his temperance, with disease. That man, without possessing 
 a single good quality, is loved and honoured ; this, notwith- 
 standing all his integrity, continues the object of malice, ca- 
 lumny, and disrespect. These and similar incongruities of 
 human life sometimes startle my belief in the wisdom and the 
 goodness of God. But, praise be to the Lord, I have also 
 other proofs of the guardianship of Providence, by which I 
 can better judge of the divine attributes. That elevation to 
 which the worthless had exalted himself, contributed only to 
 accelerate his fall. The voluptuary's days of ease tended only 
 to infuse the poison of distemper more deeply into his consti- 
 tution. The pomp of the lofty was glittering wretchedness, 
 The applause of the crowd was, to the solicitors of renown, a 
 step towards oblivion. The sinner's prosperity was the instru- 
 ment of his perdition. 
 
 All- wise Providence ! I will no longer censure thy ways. 
 They may indeed be dark ; but the darker and more unsearch- 
 able thy purposes appear the more sacred and blessed I will 
 
WITH GOD. 201 
 
 account them. I will not fret myself, thou God of mercy, 
 over the mysteriousness of thy appointments ; but by contem- 
 plating the manifest and self-evident instances of thy favour- 
 able providence, strengthen myself in thy hope and affiance. 
 And how numerous are these instances; how noble arid how 
 consolatory are the annals of thy governance, which the his- 
 tory of all eras and all people exhibit to me ! Am I not my- 
 self a witness to thy providence? How many dark passages 
 of my life have already rendered themselves clear ! How much 
 which I had considered misfortune, have I afterwards found to 
 have been the means of augmenting my happiness ! How 
 often have my tears of sorrow been changed into tears of joy ! 
 How often have I commenced the day with sobs, and closed 
 it with accents of gladness ! And how much more luminously 
 still will heaven make apparent thy dispensations ! 
 
 Hence then must my confidence and my faith be fortified 
 by the contemplation of thy wondrous ordinances. Hence, 
 with a secure heart, will I expect from thee everything that 
 is needful for my happiness. To thee will I commend all my 
 doings, and trust that thou wilt make all go well with me. I 
 know not the road in which thou wilt this day conduct me ; 
 but I know that, let the way be what it may, it will, on a can- 
 did review, give me cause to confess, " Lord, righteous and true 
 are all thy paths/' 
 
 MAY 14. 
 
 Calculation of lost Hours. 
 
 How many hours must I consider lost, if the Lord demanded 
 from me an account of them ! Can I calmly approach my 
 judge and say, ' Lord, every hour has seen that which thou 
 commandedst performed ! " Among the many thousand hours 
 which I have lived, how great a number have been spent in 
 inactivity, and what a still greater number have been dissipated 
 in foolish undertakings! How many hours have I devcted 
 to the satisfaction of my pleasures ! These hours are kst ! 
 How many hours are there in which I have left undone the 
 good which came immediately within my province, and which 
 
202 MORNING COMMUNINGS 
 
 I had so many opportunities of accomplishing ! These hours 
 are lost ! How many hours have I employed agreeably, it is 
 true, to the statutes of God, and in the honest prosecution of 
 my calling ; yet not with a view of serving the Lord or my 
 brethren, but of gratifying my ambition or furthering my tem- 
 poral advantage ! These hours are lost 1 How many hours 
 have I dedicated to objects harmless indeed in themselves, but 
 which the moment they overstep their proper bounds, lose in- 
 stantly their character of innocence .1 These hours are lost ! 
 But if I take an impartial estimate of my life, has not the 
 
 freater part of its hours been of this description ? And must 
 not, therefore, subscribe to the frightful confession, " Almost 
 all my hours are lost !" 
 
 But how many hours will there remain to me to lavish thus 
 inconsiderately ? Perhaps those of my future existence amount 
 not to an eighth portion of those which I have thus profusely 
 squandered in foolishness and sin ? Perhaps the present hour 
 only belongs to me ? Dare I at any rate anticipate that I have 
 still so many hours to live as will enable me to make repara- 
 tion for those which are lost ? Alas ! no. I will therefore em- 
 ploy this very moment in repenting of the past, and thinking 
 rationally of the time to come. The shorter this period may be, 
 the more precious ought it to appear to me. I will apply re- 
 doubled industry to fulfil the ends for which this finite life is 
 granted to me to prepare myself for eternity, and render my- 
 self worthy of the life everlasting. I will constantly picture 
 to myself the conduct of my Saviour, who lost no hour which 
 was allotted to him on this earth. I will be busy in virtue 
 while the day of existence still lasts, for the night of death is 
 at hand, when the possibility of labour ceases. An hour may 
 easily arrive, the loss of which will render me wretched for 
 ever. I will not turn from the reflection that for me many 
 an hour may yet teem with sadness. The more proved, if so, 
 will be my piety, the purer my pleasures, the greater 
 my reward. I shall find all my well-spent hours again in 
 heaven. 
 
 And thou, O Jesus, whose whole existence was more guilt- 
 less than any hour which the most perfect among the godly 
 passes, let the merits of thy life expiate my years of inutility 
 and wrong. Let me during this very day consider and prac- 
 tise that which is expedient for my peace. This day also ap- 
 
WITH QOD. 203 
 
 pertains to my days of grace. Incline me so to live that it 
 may not in death redound to my torment, and in eternity to 
 my destruction. 
 
 MAY 15. 
 
 The Satisfaction arising from Prayer. 
 
 How forcibly do I feel when I pray with fervour and sanc- 
 tity of heart, that prayer composes me into that frame of 
 mind which renders me worthy of the blessings of God, and 
 joyful in hope ! For when I thus pray, in how lively a man- 
 ner do I at once reflect on my manifold transgressions of the 
 commandments of God, and also on my inward repentance 
 and amendment ! Since, how would it be possible for me to 
 pray with joy and confidence, so long as my heart continued 
 un reformed, and my conscience told me that I merited the 
 divine vengeance? While I elevate my heart to the all- 
 bounteous Father, how sensibly do I experience that filial 
 reliance on his goodness, which increases his blessings to- 
 wards me, as often as with humility I confess that I am not 
 worthy of the mercy which he shows to me. But it is per- 
 mitted to me, under this unworthiness, to entreat yet further 
 blessings from God ? Yes, through Christ, I have the con- 
 soling conviction that my Father, who is in heaven, hears 
 with approbation the confiding supplications of his grateful 
 children : through Christ my Saviour, I have access to my 
 Father. And therefore do I feel, under the cares and distress 
 of this life, so comforted and strengthened when I offer up 
 my devotions, when I complain of my afflictions to the infi- 
 nitely Good, and implore his support. Yes, it is the greatest 
 privilege which God has granted to his family in the faith, 
 that they dare to pray to him, and pour out their hearts be- 
 fore him. What greater happiness can be imagined on earth 
 than to be able to look up to heaven in purity of heart, and 
 exclaim, " Thou art my trust, O God ! " Blessed is the Chris- 
 tian who knows this peace, and grounds his prayer on the 
 consciousness that Jesus Christ is on his side. 
 
 This happiness, this peace, my acts of worship must like- 
 
204 MORNING COMMUNINGS 
 
 wise procure for me. And how ? Do I not already feel my- 
 self stronger than I was before ? 
 
 MAY 1(5. 
 
 The Christian s Courage supported under all Calamities by 
 Confidence in God. 
 
 How often have I already, in the long hours of trial which 
 have composed my life, learned by experience that a firm 
 trust in the Lord alone elevates and fortifies the depressed 
 soul, and that my heart will never fail in courage, fortitude, 
 and comfort, so long as it continues pious and devoted to 
 God. I must confess to myself that I have been often fretful 
 and dispirited, when I could not fathom the purposes of God 
 in the progress of my fate, when his help tarried long, and 
 when it seemed to me as if he had withdrawn from me his 
 grace. Then would I ask in my discontentment, " How 
 have I deserved that thou shouldst prove me thus sharply, 
 thou Incomprehensible ; in what have I offended, that thou 
 thus depri vest me of thy assistance and thy benefactions?" 
 But when I recollected that I had no right to demand bless- 
 ings from God, and that I should be reduced to extreme 
 wretchedness were he to deal strictly with me, then did I 
 cease to murmur, then was I ashamed of my own ingratitude, 
 then did I perceive that God, even in the evil days of my 
 existence, removes not far from me w r ith his blessing, and 
 that in me he never left his goodness without a witness. 
 
 But ought not such extraordinary divine favour to induce 
 me to serve God with a still more religious observance? 
 What can be more natural than this conclusion? I have be- 
 come, through Christ, the child of God : the lusts of the 
 flesh, the follies of the world, correspond not with the quality 
 of my condition, nor with the hopes of eternal life, which God 
 has produced in my heart. I am too dearly bought to be the 
 slave of the world and of sin. My utmost diligence must be 
 exerted not to lose that grace, of which through Christ I have 
 been held worthy. 
 
 Thou eternal Spirit, form my soul to these meritorious sen- 
 
WITH GOD. 205 
 
 timents. Rule, instigate, and inspire me, that under thy 
 guidance I may escape the toils which are laid to entrap my 
 virtue. Give me enlightened eyes to see the dangers which 
 surround me, and a courageous heart to combat against them. 
 Conduct me in the path which I ought to tread, and let me 
 not wander into those ways of error which may mislead me to 
 a distance from my destination. Let me be attentive to the 
 emotions which thou wilt this day operate in my heart, and not 
 obstinately stifle them. Amid the various accidents, which 
 may to-day arise to occasion me uneasiness and care, support 
 me with thy consolations, and let the persuasion of that hap- 
 piness which I have to hope for in eternity become ever 
 stronger and more lively in my mind. And in this manner 
 so prepare me that, when it is thy will, I may depart from 
 this world with composure and resignation. 
 
 MAY 17. 
 
 The proper Employment of the Soul's Faculties. 
 
 LORD of my day, Father of my life ! thou hast given me a 
 soul capable of knowing thee and contemplating thy works. 
 Highly exalted above the irrational creation, I know my 
 greatness, my destination, my immortality. Thou hast con- 
 ferred upon 'me an invaluable superiority, by granting me 
 understanding, which is the noblest of gifts, because through 
 it I am qualified to entertain a conception, though an imper- 
 fect one, of thee, thou eternal Deity ! O ! teach me to use 
 this privilege to thy honour, that to thee I may consecrate 
 all the attributes of my intellect ; may penetrate always 
 more deeply into the blessed knowledge of thy will, and 
 daily increase in my love towards thee.. Let this be the chief 
 aim and eye-mark of my spirit. Through thee I have ob- 
 tained the noble capacity for studying and learning science, 
 and the laws of nature. But amid all the pleasures which 
 this species of wisdom presents to me, I never at any time 
 feel my heart so invigorated and elevuted as when I employ 
 my mental faculties in considering thy unerring decrees and 
 thy holy word, and in meditating on my Christian vocation. 
 
206 MORNING COMMUNINGS 
 
 I will confirm myself, O Lord, in this exerctse ; I will 
 concentrate all the powers of my capacity in thy glorifica- 
 tion. And may all the benefits which I have received from 
 thee, from the first moment of my life to the present day, be 
 imprinted on my memory! Not in my solitary hours alone, 
 but even in the noisy tumult of the world and in its transac- 
 tions, I must never forget how highly my soul has been en- 
 nobled by the merits of my Saviour ; I must not forget that 
 thou, O Jesus, through thy death hast obtained for it a 
 blessed immortality: I must never forget how sacred the 
 duties are which thou requirest from thy followers. Thy 
 doctrines, thy demeanour, thy commandments, shall be pro- 
 foundly engraven on my heart, in order that I may con- 
 stantly reflect how religiously I am bound patiently to strive 
 in good works after eternal life. But I will also at the same 
 time banish from my remembrance the enchantments of sin, 
 the fascinations of the world, the injustice of my foes, the 
 poignancy of my sufferings, and all the hardships of my 
 temporal course. Thus, thus will I dedicate my life to the 
 Lord. 
 
 I will dismiss the images and the impressions of the senses 
 from my heart, and endeavour to renovate in their utmost 
 vivacity only those affections which co-operate to rny salva- 
 tion. When my eyes would wander to the idol of the pas- 
 sions, or my soul amuse itself with the imagination of foolish 
 wishes, then must the spectacle of my Saviour, as he con- 
 flicted for me on the Mount of Olives, as he struggled for 
 me on the cross, as he bled for me in death, stand present to 
 my sight. Should the possessions of the earth seem to ob- 
 tain dominion over my mind, I will go with my thoughts to 
 that other world, where wealth that cannot be consumed, 
 and true and lasting gratifications, invite my acceptance. 
 My will shall long after the Lord, and with him, the supreme 
 God, shall my inclinations be exclusively engaged. I will 
 flee from the deceitful glare of a glittering exterior, and only 
 labour to acquire and preserve the treasure of a pure con- 
 science. 
 
 If, through thy assistance, thou God that helpest the 
 faithful, I bring these my resolutions to perfection, my days 
 will glide smoothly and pleasantly along. I shall this day, 
 even in regard to my worldly welfare, live without any anx- 
 
WITH GOD. 207 
 
 ious apprehension, since 1 shall be able, under all circum- 
 stances, to rejoice in thy blessing arid in thy support. And 
 though I should procure no other gain, the gain of my soul 
 will render me superlatively rich and happy. 
 
 MAY 18. 
 
 Irresolution and Want of Constancy in good Purposes. 
 
 MY natural imbecility is in nothing more evident than when 
 I consider the numerous good resolutions which I have from 
 time to time formed in my heart, but never carried into ac- 
 complishment. How many unexecuted purposes lie dormant 
 in my breast? How much do I promise to God at the early 
 blush of each succeeding day, at the celebration of the sacra- 
 mental supper, in sickness, and under bodily decay ! How 
 often are my devout intentions forced to serve as the substi- 
 tute of actual piety ! And where is the fulfilment? Through 
 what do I evince that I am earnest in my designs? This 
 much is however certain: God has not even in this regard 
 left himself unwitnessed in me. From him originated the 
 virtuous determinations which arose in my mind, and through 
 which he would have impelled me to the practice of righ- 
 teousness. But, that I have not more faithfully availed 
 myself of God's assistance towards the performance of good 
 works, this is indeed a melancholy proof of my irresolution, 
 my indolence, my obstinacy, and my levity of disposition. 
 It is true, I am not without excuses, nor disencumbered of 
 obstacles ; but are the first well-founded, or the latter insur- 
 mountable? Can I apologize for myself by alleging my 
 inability, when I know that both inclination and action pro- 
 ceed from God in everything that appertains to holiness, 
 according to his own pleasure? Or have opportunities failed 
 me for the prosecution of my plans of godliness ? How 
 could I maintain this, and my whole life not come forward 
 to convict me of falsehood? And what are the obstacles by 
 which I have been thus totally defeated ? They are obsta- 
 cles of which I must be ashamed. And how great, on the 
 other hand, is the detriment which I have thence drawn 
 
208 MORNING COMMUNINOS 
 
 upon myself? How much good have I neglected? Nume- 
 rous opportunities of virtuous conduct have I thus lost, and 
 seriously wounded my conscience, while my heart has been 
 rendered more callous and more rebellious, and I have only 
 roused against myself the anger of God, and forfeited^- the 
 peace of my mind. 
 
 Ah ! that I were as true to my purposes as the prodigal 
 son, who not only resolved to return to his father, but really 
 arose and hastened to him ! Ought I not this morning to 
 form his salutary resolution ? O ! that it yet might not, 
 like my former resolutions, disappear with the morning it- 
 self, or perhaps still sooner ! Shake off thy distractions, O 
 soul, and be collected. Carefully mark every virtuous emo- 
 tion that stirs within thee. Delay not the execution of thy 
 intentions till the future, since thou hast thine own heart as 
 little in subjection as the future. Renew with the present 
 day the bond which thou hast broken so frequently. 
 
 Lord, to thee is my whole heart exposed ; to thee are 
 known the determinations which at this morning's dawn I 
 establish in my mind. Thou seest how weak, how incon- 
 stant, how obdurate my heart is. O ! do thou render it 
 strong, steadfast, and joyful in the practice of good. Inces- 
 santly influence my soul by those holy incentives which thou, 
 through thy Spirit, awakenest within me, and aid me to 
 accomplish the views which T entertain, that I may not 
 disregard my own salvation, and go down, with all my reso- 
 lutions, into perdition. 
 
 MAY 19. 
 
 The Wonders of the Night, and Value of Sleep. 
 
 ONCE more I have awoke from sleep. My faculties have 
 been invigorated, my life has made itself young again; 
 and I now spring with alacrity of heart to the exercise of 
 that vocation to which the providence of God has called 
 me. But how can I enter upon the new career of existence 
 which is re-opened to me, without thanking thee, thou pre- 
 server of my days, for the recent proof of goodness which 
 
WITH GOD 209 
 
 thou hast vouchsafed to me, inasmuch as that I slept sweetly 
 and tranquilly during the past night, and behold the present 
 morning with cheerfulness and in continued health ! How 
 amazing, O Lord, are the wonders of the night ! How great 
 are the benefits of sleep ! Amply as the stars, which en- 
 lighten the nocturnal darkness, glorify thee, so conspicuously 
 am I, when slumbers close my eyes, and steal from me my 
 consciousness, a testimony of th}' omnipotence and of thy 
 goodness. Never did I before contemplate with equal ear- 
 nestness or equal emotion, the miracles of thy almighty power, 
 which a single night displays to me. I will direct my first 
 thoughts, O Lord of my being, to the benefits which I have 
 received from thee on my bed of refreshment. 
 
 How kind and admirable is the apparatus which thou hast 
 devised for the excitement of sleep ! Darkness and stillness 
 in unison invite us to take rest. No mother can be so soli- 
 citious for the placid quiet of her slumbering babe, as thou, 
 who with such tender foresight providest for the refreshment 
 of thy children, and for the faithful repose of all. How 
 much would sleep lose of its agreeableness, had I in that 
 state the power to be concerned about the fate which may 
 perhaps be impending over me ! But in my happy uncon- 
 sciousness I do not once observe even the instant perils that 
 may urge upon me : though the murderer stand beside my 
 couch, or the robber pursue his trade of violence. Amid 
 the numerous dangers to which sleep leaves me exposed, I 
 remain void alike of anxiety and alarm, because an invisible 
 hand defends me, arid the Shepherd of Israel, who neither 
 sleeps nor doses, watches over me. Hence arises the bene- 
 ficent restoration both of body and soul, which sleep imparts 
 to me, and hence its extraordinary and strengthening plea- 
 santness. 
 
 O ! how could I lie down to rest, how could I awake, 
 without remembering these demonstrations of thy mercy ! 
 Yet how often do I fall asleep, and rise again, without con- 
 sidering how much this change conduces to my happiness ! 
 Perhaps I should know it better, if on the preceding night, 
 instead of experiencing delicious ease, I had told the tedi- 
 ous hours, and, sighing, longed for day. O how culpable 
 should I be, if the painful privation of this exquisite bounty 
 could alone bring me to the grateful acknowledgment of its 
 
210 MORNING COMMUNINGS 
 
 value ! No, my God, the more frequently and the less uninter- 
 ruptedly I enjoy thy gifts, the more thankfully will I esteem 
 and extol thee for them. Make every morning an incentive 
 to me to magnify, with hymns of praise, that benevolence 
 which every creature feels. But yet more let me so employ 
 each rise of day as to consecrate to thee my revived powers 
 and my renewed existence. I must not, however, be so in- 
 active during the sunny hours as I was during the gloom of 
 the night. But still shall my soul be as free from care and 
 as composed as it was in my sleep. In thee, who without 
 any trouble or anxiety on my part lias permitted me to pass 
 so many nights, in thee ought I ever to put my trust. That 
 eye which guards me in sleep, will also in the day look down 
 upon me and tend all my steps. Lord, I place my hope in 
 thee ; thou lettest not them come to harm who with confi- 
 dence rely upon thee. 
 
 MAY 20. 
 
 Fluctuation of Time and temporal Things. 
 
 HUMAN life is full of vicissitudes : there is no one moment 
 of it exactly similar to another. Our condition is continu- 
 ally changing ; though we often remark the rapidity of this 
 alteration as little as we feel that the globe revolves on its 
 axis. Even the most agreeable things, nay, those in parti- 
 cular, are subject to instability. I am now healthful, lively, 
 and cheerful. But shall I be so in the following hour? 
 Then, perhaps, I shall already have to contend with the 
 pains of sickness, or with death. And this moment, in which 
 I commune with God, even this is on the wing ! And 
 where is it now ? What trace of it remains behind ? Truly, 
 it presents a melancholy prospect to my mind, when I reflect 
 on this universal mutability ; and every hour observe how 
 irrevocably time flies, and with it my earthly existence; when 
 I consider that I every day approach nearer to the instant 
 when my mortal body shall lie destitute of life, of comeli- 
 ness, and vigour. How delighted am I when the arms of 
 cherished friends encircle me ; when a reciprocal affection 
 unites our hearts to each other, and one common sentiment 
 
WITH GOD 211 
 
 makes my distresses theirs ! But when I think of their 
 liability to death, and of the hour when it may perhaps he- 
 come my sad office to close their eyes ; alas ! I cannot then, 
 as I look upon them, refrain from weeping ! Arid ye, wealth, 
 honour, pleasure, hope, how greatly do ye often comfort me 
 in life ! Hut when I recollect your fleetness and your un- 
 certainty, I cease to console myself with you, and to rejoice 
 in you. How sparkle my eyes as they welcome thee, thou 
 dawning sun ! Yet how heavily am I grieved, when the 
 conviction smites my soul, that to my eyes the sun will be 
 some day darkened, and the morning cheerless to my heart ! 
 At such ideas the mind must be of necessity depressed ; 
 but fortify thyself, O soul, and be not wholly abandoned to 
 sorrow. The transitoriness of the terrestrial creation ought 
 to imbue thee with wisdom and devotedness to God. Even 
 this inconstancy of all that is worldly may unfold to thee 
 the greatness of the omnipotence of the Lord. In his hands 
 rest all the changes of thy life and fortune, and each of them 
 contributes its share to the purifying of thy heart, and to 
 the exaltation of thy spirit. And how prudently wilt thou 
 at length wean thy heart from its mundane affections, when 
 thou considerest the nature of the objects to which it seems 
 to be so irremediably spell-bound ; how little wilt thou 
 mourn over bereavements, when thou hast already convinced 
 thyself of the early probability and necessity of their occur- 
 rence ! Thou wilt enjoy their pleasures ; but their unsteadi- 
 ness will teach thee not to sacrifice to them the quiet of thy 
 bosom. Thou wilt value the possessions of this temporal 
 state according to their desert ; but from the experience that 
 they are perishable, thou wilt moderate thy attachment to- 
 wards them. Thou wilt admire the beauty and the charms 
 of the spring ; yet at the same time cull from every flower the 
 wisdom not to covet that which is of the earth, but to aspire 
 at those things which belong to heaven. And hence will 
 there arise in thee an ardent desire for that better life where 
 neither change nor alteration shall find admission. The 
 oftener thou representest to thyself the evanscence and the 
 brevity of human gratifications, the more strongly wilt thou 
 be persuaded of the certainty of a higher condition of feli- 
 city. And this, this alone will compensate for the instabi- 
 lity of all else. 
 
212 MORNING COMMUNINQS 
 
 MAY 21. 
 
 Consolation arising from the Transitoriness of Affliction, 
 as well as of Joy. 
 
 PRAISE be to God! my sufferings and my afflictions are also 
 transient. If all things else under the sun were fugitive, 
 while these alone were subject to no change, then should I 
 indeed have reason to bemoan my fate. But, to my comfort, 
 those things which outwardly disturb me are likewise vari- 
 able. Often in the same hour in which I weep, my tears 
 are dried up ; and if I commenced it with lamentations, I 
 end it with rejoicings. Of this truth have I not received in 
 my life frequent and agreeable proofs ? How often have I 
 bewailed in the morning of the day, and said, "The Lord has 
 forgotten me?" and yet ere the evening came have I been 
 forced to confess, " Never has the Lord allowed that I should 
 not testify of him !" In the midst of the acuteness of my 
 pains, God has often prepared for me a balm which soothed 
 all my woes into oblivion. Hence how unjust many a time 
 have been my complaints of the duration of my misery, how 
 wrongful my distrust, and how inconsistent my murmurs 
 against the providence of God ! In order to tranquillize my- 
 self I needed only to have regarded the manner in which 
 God had heretofore led his children. The life of a Joseph, 
 the destiny of a Job, the rescue and preservation of a David, 
 even the humiliation of my Jesus himself, would have been 
 far more than sufficient to convince me how kindly and how 
 wisely God directs the events of human life. 
 
 But how should I dishonour the excellence of the skilful 
 and benignant Ruler of all mortal affairs, wer I not for the 
 subsequent part of my life to extract consolation and joy out 
 of this experience ! How little should I deserve prosperous 
 hours if I could not endure my hours of misfortune with 
 composure ! This day will not be without its distresses ! 
 Numerous circumstances will arise to render me uneasy and 
 sad ! Be it so ; this day shall prove for my heart a day of 
 exercise in patience and resignation. I will not vex myself 
 about the time to come, but judge of it by the past, and look 
 only to this, that 1 may live throughout the present day du- 
 
WITH GOD. 213 
 
 teously and in prudent solicitude for the welfare of my 
 soul. I will not dwell solely upon my sufferings, which 
 are just now perhaps grievous to me. I will think 
 equally on that season when my trouble shall be turned 
 into gladness, and my wailings into strains of felicita- 
 tion. Be this season as far distant as it may, yet such a 
 happy alteration will certainly occur, though it should take 
 place in the minute of my death. Then will everything be 
 explained ; then will all the moments which now appear in- 
 comprehensible, be finally solved and rendered intelligible to 
 my understanding. Then even in regard to me the shout 
 shall be, " Wonderful beginning ! glorious end ! " 
 
 Perhaps, however, this day I shall myself be visited nei- 
 ther by sufferings nor painful feelings. Still there will be 
 around me a large multitude of the wretched, who will be 
 compelled to groan over their misery. I will endeavour in 
 respect to these to assume the disposition of my God, and 
 strive as far as possible to promote their alleviation and re- 
 lief. This occupation of charity will one day cheer me in my 
 own sorrows, and incline others affectionately to sympathize 
 with me, when my turn to mourn shall present itself. And 
 though even this should not be the case, God himself will 
 take care for me, and bring my concerns to an advantageous 
 issue. 
 
 MAY 22. 
 
 Beauty of the Creation. 
 
 THIS beauteous morning opens to me in its advance the 
 grandest and the noblest of scenes, and beseechingly invites 
 me to contemplate the wonders of God. Wherever I look, I 
 find cause to regard with astonishment that exalted Being 
 who with incomprehensible wisdom and goodness establishes 
 the seasons, and rules all the changes ot nature. Do I raise 
 my eyes on high, the spectacle of the sun and of the whole 
 circle of heaven charms me into rapture. The morning sky 
 sparkles, superbly arrayed in the lustre of the carnation of 
 dawn. The darkness vanishes around, and a sweet, refreshing 
 
214 MORNING COMMUNINGS 
 
 air arises. The triumphant light beams with unutterable ma- 
 jesty. And what is all the gorgeous pomp of monarchs, what 
 all the splendour of imperial palaces, in comparison with this 
 overwhelming brilliancy ? The earth also displays to me 
 the riches of the miracles of God. The bloom which decks 
 the trees, the flowers which adorn the meadows, the balmy 
 odour which the atmosphere exhales, the dew-drops that 
 glisten on the grass, and every plant, as it were, enchased in 
 pearls all these glories of the morn elevate my heart to 
 ecstasy and applause. And the purposes of all these things 
 are as beneficent as their appearance is enchanting. The 
 blossom which so delights the gaze of the beholder feeds the 
 sprouting fruit, and constitutes the first promise of nourish- 
 ment. The fields are for the healthful a state-chamber of 
 parade, and for the indisposed an abode of convalescence. In 
 the realm of animated nature everything is busy for my sub- 
 sistence, my pleasure, and my gratification ; thus the cattle 
 offer their strength, their milk, and their flesh for my sup- 
 port; and the birds of the heavens infuse transport into my 
 heart through their melody. Nature with her whole family 
 serves me arid waits upon me ; she brings the produce of 
 their united industry, and pours it out into my lap. Who 
 can ever sufficiently admire the goodness which has ordered 
 all this ? The Maker of the world has everywhere associated 
 agreeableness with utility. He forms all things as perfectly 
 pleasing as if ornament were their only design ; and at the 
 same time as beneficial, as if usefulness were their sole inten- 
 tion. How greatly ought such views to raise my conception 
 of the Creator's infinite kindness towards the human race ! 
 How ravished with this most bounteous Deity, how thankful 
 to him ought they to render me ! So must then the grateful 
 remembrance of my God, thus exhaustless in his mercy, con- 
 stantly accompany me, and occupy my whole heart with his 
 love ! The contemplation of his gifts, and joy over his un- 
 searchable works, must sanctify all my pleasures, and fill me 
 with a holy ecstasy ! How many opportunities will this day 
 afford me, O God, of acknowledging thee and thy greatness ! 
 Each blade of herbage, each flower, each mead, each grove, 
 will proclaim to me thy omnipotent benevolence, and excite 
 me to thankfulness. 
 
WITH GUD. 235 
 
 MAY 23. 
 
 The Christians Inquiry into the Number of his future Days 
 
 How pressingly do the speediness and the uncertainty of my 
 life require that I should dispose of my time with wisdom, 
 and let no moment pass without employing it to advantage ! 
 What is the period which I have yet to live ? Is it a hundred, 
 is it a thousand years ? And though this were the case, would 
 not an eternity which has no limits at all, claim the whole 
 term to be spent in preparation for its endless ages ? Do I 
 then know the finish of my days ? May it not arrive to-mor- 
 row ? Is then the task of making myself ready for death 
 only the business of a few hours or a few minutes ? Ought 
 not a thorough knowledge of myself, anguish for my sins, and 
 a complete change of heart and disposition, to be accomplished 
 before I make the decisive entrance into eternity ? And how 
 much meditation, what an effort of strength, and what in- 
 dustry are needful for this purpose ? How necessary is it 
 then, that I should take measures sufficiently early to provide 
 for the most important occupation of my existence ? 
 
 What is the period which I have yet to live ? It may be 
 years and months. But even these will rapidly vanish, and 
 still more increase my guilt, if I direct them not to the salva- 
 tion of my soul. Ere I think of it, my end will be here, and 
 I shall perceive with sorrow, regret, and astonishment, that 
 all my resolutions have remained unfulfilled. 
 
 What is the period which I have yet to live ? I know it 
 not ; and this very ignorance ought to render me watchful and 
 careful in the use which I make of my time. I should always 
 so live as if every day were the last of my existence. I should 
 always do that which at the close of my days I shall wish 
 that I had done and performed. I ought not to approach the 
 term of my departure heedlessly, but with mature reflection. 
 I ought often to ask myself, " Will these pleasures, these lusts, 
 these dignities be to me in dying that which I now deem 
 them ? Shall I be able then to recollect wuh satisfaction the 
 conduct which I now pursue, when on my beath-bed I call 
 my actions to their last inspection ? " This species of exami- 
 nation, were it perseveringly continued and earnestly under- 
 
216 MORNING COMMUNINGS 
 
 taken, might at least have the advantageous result, that I 
 should become circumspect in my choice of earthly things. 
 
 Soul, make this day the first of so wholesome a mode of 
 thinking ! I am again to-day one day older ; or, what is 
 equivalent, I am so much nearer to my grave. My life 
 may be prolonged to the furthest stretch of human dura- 
 tion, yet even though I should then reckon it by minutes it 
 would appear but a very short space if compared with im- 
 mortality. On this brief, transient, dubious period, how- 
 ever, my everlasting happiness or misery depends. How 
 foolish should I be were I in the enjoyment of the world to 
 lose sight of this destiny? What! I, a rational creature, 
 one of the redeemed of Christ, an inhabitant for heaven ; 
 ought I to live like the brutes whose whole life and happi- 
 ness terminate with their animal being ? Ought I to live so 
 many days and yet be unable to say of one of them, in the 
 essential acceptation of the phrase : " This day I have lived ? " 
 Ought I to allow myself to be overtaken in the midst of my 
 carelessness by that eternity which is so terrible ? No, be 
 this determination fixed : the hours which are appointed to 
 me I will live to the honour of God. 
 
 MAY 24. 
 
 The natural Helplessness of Man. 
 
 ON whichever side I regard my earthly destiny, the melan- 
 choly imbecility of my condition, always necessitous of aid, 
 and the instability of all terrestrial good, are universally 
 evident and sensible to me ; and the conviction of the bene- 
 ficence of the belief in a wise and holy governance of the 
 world forces itself upon me with equal persuasion. Do I 
 consider the state in which I entered upon this earth, there 
 is scarcely so helpless a creature in the whole creation as I 
 am. And though I have arrived to great strength, and to 
 the maturity of my powers, still I am unable to provide for 
 my own well-being. Externally I am exposed to such 
 numberless obstacles, and inwardly to so many disquietudes ; 
 to such tempestuous storms of the elements, and to such 
 
WITH GOD. 217 
 
 furiousness of the unbridled passions of men, that all human 
 precaution is too feeble to guard against them, and all force 
 too weak to ward them off. So many temptations and wiles 
 are set for me, that my cunning is as little able to discover 
 them as my ability is to frustrate them. I may fall into so 
 many unexpected dangers which no mortal prudence could 
 have foreseen ; I am subject to so many infirmities and 
 diseases ; to so much violence, deceit, and falsehood, on the 
 part of others ; that were the protection of the divine provi- 
 dence to be withdrawn, I should remain a comfortless 
 wretch, who must of necessity sink under the weight of sin, 
 misery, and grief. 
 
 In addition to all these chances to which my weakness is 
 a prey, want and need are seen to augment the sum of my 
 afflictions. I feel within myself appetites and inclinations 
 that will be satisfied ; or, if they are not appeased, lament- 
 ably torment and distract me. If under these circumstances 
 I had no support except my own natural reason, how little 
 would my necessities be supplied, or my wishes accom- 
 plished ! Unnoticed accidents, unanticipated events, might 
 thwart my best plans and enfeeble all the means from the 
 instrumentality of which I promised myself the happiest 
 effects. And it would be of no avail that I should rise 
 early, and late take rest, and eat the bread of care, if the 
 Lord blessed not my efforts, and prospered not the labours 
 of my enterprise. 
 
 This day will confirm all these considerations. I shall in 
 manifold ways experience my weakness, my wants, and iny 
 wretchedness. However, much as these contemplations dis- 
 spirit me, I am also as effectually tranquillized when I think 
 of this truth, that I stand under the defence of the Almighty 
 Ruler of the world, who is also my Father and my Bene- 
 factor. Under his care I can fearlessly encounter any fate 
 that may hang over me. To his dominion I resign, with 
 the fullest reliance, the ordering of all my concerns. From 
 my God, who hath in Jesus so dearly loved me, I dare to 
 expect everything that is conducive to my advantage. All 
 my anxieties are put to silence by the consolatory idea : "If 
 God is for me, who can be against me ? He did not spare 
 even his own Son, but gave him up for me. How should 
 he not then with him bestow upon me all besides ? " 
 
218 MORNING COMMUN1NOS 
 
 MAY 25. 
 
 Our worldly Interests ceases with Death. 
 
 AN hour will at one time or other come which will rob me 
 of all that is now most valuable to my heart, and occupies 
 my whole soul. My life, my health, my fortune, and my 
 pleasures, all that I love in the world can for me last no 
 longer than till the day of my death. And when this day 
 arrives, all the schemes which I had purposed to execute are 
 lost, and I must leave behind me whatever on earth I ac- 
 counted for gain. How gloomy and discouraging is this 
 idea for those whose minds are totally devoted to this lower 
 sphere and to its joys ! How difficult will it then too be for 
 me to quit this world and its gratifications, to separate my- 
 self from my friends and my beloved, and depart to the un- 
 known country ! How severe a conflict will it cost my heart 
 to burst the chains which bind me to my sublunary state, 
 and not to shrink with horror at the grave, whither I shall 
 take with me nothing of all my glory, save a shroud and a 
 covering that will defend me not even from the worms ! How 
 poor does this hour of death make me ! Poorer than I was 
 at the day of my birth. Till the hour of my death men 
 honour me ; they listen to my advice ; they obey my com- 
 mands. Till then I retain the possession and enjoyment 01 
 the goods which my industry has amassed. Death deprives 
 me of all right and property, and I can neither say of my 
 coffin nor my tomb that they remain mine ; to the former the 
 worms, and to the latter the bones of my brethren lay claim. 
 How frightful appears the hour of death when I yield 
 only to my carnal feelings, and behold it with a worldly 
 mind ! But how widely different does it seem when I re- 
 gard it in the light of Christianity then do I see, in the 
 loss of life, the richest and the noblest profit ; then do I find, 
 even in this terrifying change, a fountain-spring of joyfulness 
 and hope. Endue me with wisdom, O God ; and to this 
 end instruct me in Jesus, so that, strengthened through faith, 
 of which he is the author and the finisher, I may frequently 
 ponder upon death. As often as the hour strikes, let me re- 
 flect within myself, that another step towards eternity is 
 

 WITH GOD. 219 
 
 completed ! And when it shall at length happen that all my 
 hours have tolled, let me die in hope and peace. Can I in- 
 deed, for this day, obtain any higher blessing than the hear- 
 ing of such a prayer? Can I live more tranquilly or more 
 happily than through the accomplishment of this desire? 
 But thou wilt hear me; I confide in thy grace through 
 Christ Jesus. 
 
 MAY 26. 
 
 Anticipation of the Future rendered Joyful by an approving 
 Retrospect of the Past. 
 
 WHEN, on awakening from sweet and refreshing sleep, I can 
 review the past day with tranquillity and joy; when my 
 conscience testifies to me that I have walked before the 
 Lord ; O ! how cheerfully and with what consolation do I 
 look forward into futurity ! It is true I have never yet lived 
 a day in which I did not, in some manner, sin against my 
 Maker ; yet with what happy confidence dare I still lift up 
 my eyes to my God, who is likewise my benignant Father, 
 and remaineth so notwithstanding that I am so often unwor- 
 thy of his goodness ! But this thought shall never lead me 
 into indolence in the office of amendment; never render me 
 careless and secure for God, who sees into the inmost re- 
 cesses of my breast, grants me his grace only when he dis- 
 covers in my heart the love of virtue, arid an ardent desire 
 to purify itself. Though so long as I live I should never 
 cease to fall and stumble, yet with an upright endeavour to 
 become better, I would still dare to hope, with confidence, 
 that God will be gracious to me. For I am a Christian, 
 and have participation in the redemption which Jesus has 
 established me also has he clearly purchased with his blood ; 
 and he has likewise, through his pains and his death, become 
 my Intercessor and Propitiator. How should I do other- 
 wise than, with infantine security, draw near to God, who is 
 so merciful and long-suffering ; who desireth not to go into 
 judgment with his children ; who willingly forgives the peni- 
 tent ; and who gladdens the sinner through his blessings, 
 
220 MORNING COMMUNINGS 
 
 and allures him to himself? O ! may, therefore, every fresh, 
 unmerited favour of God be made to inspire me with fer- 
 vent gratitude and redoubled zeal in holiness ; and strengthen 
 me in my efforts to become evermore deserving of the grace 
 of the Most Excellent ! How will my heart be then en- 
 riched in contentment arid true joy, in trust in God, and in 
 love towards men 5 and how tranquilly shall I hereafter, when 
 my last hour sounds, be enabled to yield back my spirit to 
 the disposal of its Author ! 
 
 MAY 27 
 
 Necessity of being wholly devoted to God. 
 
 WITH earnestness and reverence will I call to mind that I 
 have no right to sport wantonly, and according to the caprice 
 of my own fancy, with my allotted period of life, and with my 
 powers and faculties, and that I ought to regard them only 
 as confided pledges, of the employment of which I must one 
 day render an account. How often have I already acknow- 
 ledged this sacred fact ; how often declared to God that I 
 would devote myself, with my whole soul and my whole body, 
 to his glory ; and how often have I been already false to this 
 vow ! For is it not falsehood and violation of my covenant 
 to live indeed sometimes faithfully and uprightly, but after- 
 wards again to abandon myself to slothfulness and frivolity of 
 mind ; to humble myself truly before God in days of care 
 and trial, but then, when the care is surmounted, and the star 
 of prosperity again brightens, to return to my former pride 
 arid vanity ? Is it not treachery towards God and my con- 
 science, if I fulfil indeed those duties which cost my heart no 
 conquest, but, on the contrary, reject all those against which 
 my sensuality rises in rebellion, and which I can only accom- 
 plish through the steadfast combat of my passions ? Can I 
 boast of my devotion and my piety so long as I still totter 
 betwixt will and practice, so long as I am still irresolute 
 and fickle? No; I belong not yet to the devout, who 
 love God with all their heart and with all their strength. 
 But thou knowest, my Lord and my God, that the promise 
 
WITH GOD. 221 
 
 which I solemnly renew to thee this morning, the irrevocable 
 promise to be, from this day forward, entirely thy property, 
 and thy faithful, obedient child, through adoption in Christ, 
 eomes from the very bottom of my heart; and thou it is who 
 wilt grant tome the power to keep it; thou guidestme according 
 to thy counsel ; thou sendest me excitement and encourage- 
 ment to execute that which I have earnestly determined. 
 
 MAY 28. 
 Gratitude to the Creator. 
 
 EVEN though thy blessings, merciful God, were not endless, 
 though their duration were limited only to a certain period, 
 still should I be under the strongest obligation to extol thy 
 goodness. Though the future should afford to me no occasion 
 for praise, yet would the past present to me innumerable rea- 
 sons for thy glorification. However far I travel back into 
 my life, I everywhere find expressive memorials of thy bene- 
 ficent grace. In vain do I strive to enumerate thy favours 
 or to calculate their immensity. For should I even strive to 
 sum up the benefactions of one single day, how stupendous 
 would appear the amount of thy mercies ! And what shall 
 I say of the benefactions of a year of the benefactions of 
 many years in succession ? Where remain the blessings of 
 my childhood, and the gifts of my riper age ? Where are 
 classed the blessings of sleep, and those secret testimonies of 
 thy benevolence, which I myself do not observe ? Where 
 stand the blessings of my redemption ? Ah ! Lord, incalcu- 
 lable, urimeasurable, incomprehensible, infinite is thy good- 
 ness ! It is no man's work to count thy benefits ; it is no fi- 
 nite being's occupation to pry into the multitude of thy 
 wonders : the very angels rest mute at the estimate ; the very 
 heavens are astonished at thy kindness. Forgive, then, my 
 feebleness if I also, at the contemplation of thy munificence, 
 can do nothing further than be transported, ravished, and 
 amazed. 
 
 This amazement, this transport, ought to render themselves 
 manifest in every portion of rny life, and make me prompt in 
 
222 MORNING COM MUNI NGS 
 
 the performance of those duties which thy goodness de- 
 mands from me. Am I unable to count the instances of thy 
 benignity ? then will I the more eagerly endeavour to search 
 them out, to muse upon them, and to publish them to others. 
 Am I incapable of appreciating the greatness of thy mercy ? 
 Then will I take so much the stricter pains to acknowledge 
 my own unworthiness, my own nothingness, and my own im- 
 becility. Is it not in my power to praise thee with words ? 
 Then will I so much the more assiduously seize every oppor- 
 tunity to do thee homage by my actions. Is it not possible, 
 that I should have in this world the happiness fully to com- 
 prehend thy pitying love ? Then will I so much the more 
 ardently long after heaven, where thy goodness will be yet 
 more largely displayed to me, and my spirit better adapted 
 to laud thy compassion according to its worthiness. Am 
 I unable to praise thee during my life ? Then will I exalt 
 thee in my death, and go out of the world with the song of 
 thanksgiving: <f Lord, what mighty things hast thou done for 
 me! How aast thou magnified thy goodness to me ! " And 
 when, at length, I shall be caught up into thy glory, then shall 
 I perfectly perceive how much thou hast performed for me. 
 My soul will then extol thee, and my whole spirit rejoice in 
 thee, O God, my Saviour ! 
 
 MAY 29. 
 
 The Christian s Destiny and Vocation. 
 
 I WILL this morning again earnestly reflect that it is my 
 calling and my destination to live piously; and that I trifle 
 with rriy eternal salvation, when, for a single day, I lose sight 
 of this appointment. I will examine myself whether through 
 conscientiousness, through amendment of heart, and through 
 meditation on my duty, I have advanced any nearer to my 
 grand vocation ; I will pray God, that he be pleased to grant 
 me his Holy Spirit, that I may succeed in healing the feeble- 
 ness of my heart, and change it into strength ; I will often 
 and with ardour regard the exalted pattern of my Redeemer, 
 that it may enliven my zeal and confirm my mind. O ! that 
 I might even to-day let no impulse of my conscience arise 
 

 WITH GOD. 223 
 
 unobserved, and no opportunity of doing good pass away 
 unemployed! How often already have I drawn upon 
 myself bitter repentance, because I hardened myself against 
 my conscience, because I heeded not its admonitions, and 
 marked not its remembrances ; and how wretched should I 
 be were it, at length, totally to cease to speak ! O ! this will 
 I vow to thee, my God, that on the present day I will be 
 more attentive to the condition of rny heart, and watch with 
 care over myself, that no sinful lust may enter in and disturb 
 its purity and its tranquillity. I will strive to escape every 
 temptation that it may be dangerous for me to encounter ; 
 and deny myself even lawful pleasures, that I may acquire 
 the habit of self-control. The example of the light-minded 
 shall not inveigle me into foolishness ; I will always keep in 
 memory that the neglecters of God can enjoy no peace ; and 
 that no advantage and no prosperity of the earth can afford 
 indemnification for the loss of a good conscience ; no remorse 
 erase committed sins, or call back misspent days. Yet all th?s 
 may I accomplish through thee, my God, who art potent in 
 them that are weak 5 and to this end I offer up to thee my 
 supplication. 
 
 MAY 30. 
 
 Address to God under his various Attributes. 
 
 GOD, most worthy of adoration, I now solemnly address 
 thee, and vividly feel how great my reverence, how deep my 
 humility, how ardent my devotion ought to be, when I lift 
 up my voice to thee in supplication. I pray to thee, the 
 omnipresent Deity, before whom all my thoughts and views 
 lie exposed and known, and who canst not be deluded by 
 any representation or appearance. I address my supplica- 
 tions to thee, thou omnipresent God, in whose hands all my 
 destinies are placed, and who art able to punish my false and 
 flattering heart, and to recompense my integrity. I pray to 
 thee I pray to a holy and righteous God, who detests all 
 wickedness, and to whom an iniquitous heart is an abomina- 
 tion. Woe to my soul if I should desigrnedlv transgress 
 
224 MORNING COMMUNINGS 
 
 against him ! To me there would then remain no sacrifice, 
 no forgiveness of offences, but a frightful expectancy of 
 judgment and of the consuming fire, which is doomed to 
 destroy the irreligious. I pray to a gracious and compas- 
 sionate God, who opens the bosom of his mercy to all be- 
 lieving worshippers, and is most willing to show them his 
 favour when they do not obstinately contemn his blessing. 
 I pray to the infinitely Divine Majesty, whom even the an- 
 gels venerate with lowliest prostration. Should I approach 
 the footstool of his glory with less awe, I, who am so far 
 below the angels, and who, on account of my imperfections, 
 am bound by duty to so much more profound obeisance ? 
 I pray to the God of truth, who is an enemy to all false- 
 hood and guile. How, then, could I give ear to the demon 
 of lies, and rob my God of the honour due to him ? I pray 
 to the love-abounding Redeemer, who would save me, and 
 for his merit's sake make me a participator in every blessing. 
 While I reflect on this, my whole heart is penetrated with 
 sacred dread and adoration ; but that holy reverence and 
 submission with which, in ancient time, Abraham made pe- 
 tition to Jehovah, must also imbue my mind. It must not 
 only be to me a duty, but my most agreeable occupation 
 often to converse with God. But thou, my Father and my 
 Lord, thou the most highly elevated and supreme, who rulest 
 from eternity to eternity, look down with compassion on thy 
 servant desirous to acknowledge thee, his Creator and his 
 God, and to present to thee the tribute of grateful worship. 
 Grant me the spirit of prayer, that my aspirations may meet 
 with thy approval. Let the idea of thy sovereignty sway 
 my entire soul, and awaken me to the saving fear of thy 
 hallowed name. With what joy does the thought fill me, 
 that thou hearest me and art propitious to me ; that thou 
 hast regard to the sighs of thy children, and seest their 
 tears ; and that they entreat thee not in vain ! O ! how 
 many sighs, how many wishes, how many vows, will this 
 day be poured forth to thee ? Listen especially to the for- 
 saken and the needy, and help them with thy mighty arm. 
 Vouchsafe to me, this day, all that my real happiness re- 
 quires and lead me not into temptation, but deliver me from 
 evil. 
 
WITH GOD. 225 
 
 MAY 31. 
 
 Reflections on the elapsed Month. 
 
 WHAT more imperative duty can I this morning undertake 
 than to reckon with sincerity of mind the hours which I 
 have lived in the speedily elapsed month ? The longer I 
 delay this task the more laborious will be the calculation of 
 my life. I will set about it this day. I will with candour 
 and earnestness review my past days, consider my past ac- 
 tions, and steadfastly explore their value. O ! how much 
 shall I find to amend, to rectify, to obliterate, and to recall ! 
 Have I devoted this time to the service of God, or to the 
 service of the world ? Have I collected during this period 
 a treasury of good works, or have I defiled it with vices ? 
 Have I met my neighbour with love and fidelity, or have I 
 exercised towards him severity and unrighteousness ? Have 
 I always truly fulfilled the vow of self- improvement which I 
 every morning presented to God, or have I often allowed 
 myself to be carried away headlong by my weakness, even 
 into a worse state than before ? These are the questions 
 which I must put to myself, and to which I must ingenu- 
 ously reply, if I would reflect with profit on my days that 
 are now no more. 
 
 But the blessings, likewise, which I have received from 
 God in the course of this short and fleeting space, shall form 
 the subject of my grateful contemplation and my praise. 
 Where was there a day void of those evidences of grace, of 
 that love, of that patience, of that protection, which are so 
 absolutely necessary for me in the progress of my life? 
 When was there an hour in which I had not to count as 
 many benefactions as moments ? Finally, I will yet cast a 
 glance at my future days, or rather in idea weigh their un- 
 certainty. I will reflect how doubtful it is, whether either 
 the close of this month or the beginning of the next shall 
 belong to my living days. I will be a miser with my time, 
 and consider every hour of devotion, every opportunity of 
 serving God, as a precious gift, for the employment of which 
 I owe an account to my Creator. I will be zealously heed- 
 ful to fit myself for heaven, to gather riches for eternity, and 
 
 
226 MORNING COMMUNTNGS 
 
 to keep my conscience unspotted till the day of the coming 
 of Jesus. 
 
 Ah ! my God and Lord, teach me this wisdom, and make 
 my heart fast therein. To-day, since my past and future life 
 are equally separated, to-day will I meditate only on those 
 things which may sanctify the time that I have already lived, 
 and render happy the portion that may still remain before 
 me, but form no doubtful plans for distant periods. The 
 duties which I neglected in the days that are spent, will I, 
 with so much the more ardent activity, endeavour to bring 
 again into practice, in order that I may look forward to the 
 future with joyous confidence. 
 
 JUNE 1. 
 
 The Assurance of God's Divine Providence dispels Cares, 
 and fortifies against Temptation. 
 
 I ADVANCE, with filial confidence, towards the uncertain fu- 
 ture which this day, the first of a new month, opens to me, 
 and into which it also bears me. It is true, I know not 
 whether days of happiness or days of calamity await me ; 
 but I know that in the volume of his register God has in- 
 scribed all my days that shall yet be ; I know that the eter- 
 nal wisdom ordains my destinies, and that under such a 
 government, even the sufferings I endure in this life will pro- 
 mote my everlasting welfare. Supported by my belief in a 
 Divine providence, I proceed without fear or anxiety, in the 
 way which my duty and my profession require me to go. 
 Why should I be downcast, since God knows me and takes 
 charge of me ; since the All-benevolent, even before I peti- 
 tion him for it, perceives and is aware of the object of rny 
 need ? Therefore, will I admit no other care in my soul, 
 than how I may render myself more worthy of the blessings 
 of my Maker ; no other sorrow than grief for the weakness 
 and foolishness of my heart ; no other hope than the trust 
 that God will be gracious to me, and that his omnipotence 
 will protect me where I cannot protect myself. I will pre- 
 serve my heart with all heedf ulness, for thence are the issues 
 
WITH GOP. 227 
 
 of life. If my virtue would shrink under temptations, then 
 let the thought exalt me, that I walk beneath the eyes of God, 
 and that his Spirit sustains me if I supplicate it from him. 
 At the close of every day this must be the soothing reflec- 
 tion which adds repose to my sleep, that I am able to say, 
 " I am now nearer to God than I was yesterday." 
 
 But if I would arrive at this happiness, then no longer 
 dares my heart to listen to the world and its lusts, then must 
 I resolve to bend my ambition and my covetings to the things 
 above. But how can this be difficult to me, since every day 
 evinces to me the vanity and the transitoriness of earthly 
 goods ; since the delights of the world afford to my bosom 
 so little true satisfaction ; since, as a disciple of Jesus, I 
 know my higher appointment and the felicity which I may 
 securely expect, if I devote all my powers and my lifetime 
 to my duty and vocation. No ; no longer shall the idle 
 pleasures of the world befool me ; I will strive after purer 
 joys ; I will not heap up earthly hoards, but collect celestial 
 riches. Vouchsafe to me, for this purpose, thy support, my 
 Father w r ho art in heaven ; and grant that I may employ, to 
 my perpetual salvation, not only this new day with which 
 thou giftest me, but each which thou raayest from this time 
 lestow upon me. 
 
 JUNE 2. 
 
 Contemplation of Nature. 
 
 IN what expressive language do the beauties and the riches 
 of nature excite me to the wondering admiration and to the 
 praise of my Creator ! how loudly does this glorious nature 
 proclaim to me that God is good to all, and that he has com- 
 passion on each of his works ! For how plenteously has he 
 furnished her with everything that can rejoice, gratify, or 
 exalt his creature man ! And how pure, how holy, are the 
 delights which nature presents to us ? While the possession 
 of every other pleasure is so easily saddened and embittered, 
 arid requires so much preparation, and so much expense of 
 time and labour, I feel myself filled with the most pure de- 
 
 
228 MORNING COMMUNINQS 
 
 light, while enjoying the beauties of nature, who offers her- 
 self to rne on all sides without my slightest exertion. And 
 these joys can never be snatched from me, never disturbed, 
 provided that my heart be otherwise unsullied and tranquil, 
 and keep itself true to its better feelings. How often al- 
 ready have the charms of nature comforted and enlivened 
 me, when sorrow weighed me down ! how often have they 
 revived my hope and my confidence when I despondingly 
 feared that I was forsaken of God ! O ! never will I, there- 
 fore, enter the stately temple of nature, without remember- 
 ing, with grateful affection, its celestial Builder, and without 
 consecrating to my Maker my heart and my life. For how 
 can I deny my grateful adoration to the wise and beneficent 
 Deity, who has, even for me, arrayed nature in this dazzling 
 beauty, and provided her with these inexhaustible treasures ; 
 who clothes the grass and the flowers also, that I may enjoy 
 them ; who brings forth bread out of the earth ; who replen- 
 ishes the land with fruits which he forms, and which the hills 
 water from above, that I may be satisfied with fulness of 
 pleasure ! How can I ever cease to trust in the All-bounte- 
 ous, who showeth his compassion even to me ; embraces the 
 worm with his pity ; who feeds the gay tenants of air ; who 
 defends the tenderest blossom in the storm ; who even on the 
 frightful wings of the terrible tempest sends blsssings and 
 benefits to his children ! Is the earth full of his goodness ? 
 So likewise let my heart be filled with thankfulness and con- 
 fidence. Do the heavens recount to me the glory of God ? 
 How should my lips pass over in silence the glory and the 
 greatness of the Governor of the universe ? Praise then 
 the Lord, O my soul, and forget not the abundance of his 
 mercies towards thee. 
 
 JUNE 3. 
 
 Angels the Ministers of God's Goodness. 
 
 How great are the prerogatives which God has conferred 
 upon my soul ! how great in particular the privilege of being 
 enabled to know its Creator, to admire and to praise him, to 
 
WITH GOD. 229 
 
 perceive its own exalted destiny, and to strive to fulfil it ! 
 On each new morning which God's goodness vouchsafes to 
 me, and in every hour which is devoted to his adoration, I 
 feel with thankfulness and joy that I have been deemed wor- 
 thy of the high privilege of being able to elevate myself with 
 my thoughts and feelings to the Lord, strengthened through 
 unsuspicious confidence in his goodness and wisdom, and 
 encouraged through reverence and love towards him, both in 
 the inclination and the practice of good works. Every new 
 morning I rejoice afresh in the faith, that my spirit is in- 
 tended for a more exalted life, and capable of infinite per- 
 fection, and that I have here no permanent place of rest. 
 As often as I feel the weakness and the frailty of my body, 
 and think of the visible and invisible dangers to which my 
 life is every moment exposed, I congratulate myself on the 
 Almighty protection under which I am placed, and the skil- 
 ful benevolence which rules my fate. And every returning 
 dawn confirms me in my consoling belief in the mercy and 
 grace of the Divine Being, who sends his angels, that they 
 may defend my existence, and drive from me perils which 
 my eye beholds not and iny heart does riot imagine. Yes, he 
 sends his angels ; for how otherwise should I have escaped 
 all those fatalities which threatened my days of childhood, 
 and from which neither the truest love nor the most affec- 
 tionate care would have sufficed to guard me ? He sends 
 his angels ; for how often was my life so wonderfully saved, 
 when I seemed already to be lost beyond rescue ? As they 
 stood formerly at my cradle, and guarded and watched me, 
 so now stand they beside my bed, while I am buried in quiet 
 and gentle sleep, and know nothing of myself; they are the 
 heralds which God dispatches to me, when his wisdom and 
 his kindness have resolved to bless me ; they accompany me 
 unseen in my paths, and are my guides, when I am deter- 
 mined in mind to assimilate myself to them, and cheerfully, 
 like them, to do the behests of my Divine Master. And 
 this determination I will to-day renew : I present it to thee, 
 my Lord arid my God, as a matinal offering with which 
 thou wilt be well pleased. O ! grant me thy grace, that I 
 may this day and each succeeding one accomplish it with 
 zeal and fidelity ; that I may hasten full of charity to the 
 aid of my fellow-mortals ; that I may be their angel in peril 
 
230 MCRNING COMMUNINGS 
 
 and sorrow, their comforter and friend, and a vessel of thy 
 goodness. Then shall I be certain of thy blessing and thy 
 grace ; then shall I dare to proceed, full of trust and conso- 
 lation, to the boundary of my earthly race, and full of con- 
 fidence that thou wilt admit me into the happy assembly of 
 the celestial spirits, whom thou hast collected round thy 
 throne, and who behold thee as thou art. 
 
 JUNE 4. 
 The Necessity and Efficacy of Prayer. 
 
 I SHOULD lose my sweetest comfort and my best encourage- 
 ment in virtue, were I to cease to lift up my heart in reve- 
 rential prayer to God ; for how often have I experienced the 
 blissful, the divine influence of prayer on my heart ; how 
 often has it armed me with new strength for the performance 
 of righteousness ; how often stilled my cares arid tempered 
 my sorrow. As Peter was released from his chains when 
 he fervently prayed, so has prayer loosened me from the 
 bonds of my trouble. As the earth was refreshed with rain 
 at the pious supplications of Elias, so has the All-good, in 
 my days of need, quickened and comforted me at my peti- 
 tion, through the instances of his love. As Jesus himself, 
 when he offered up prayer with a loud cry and with tears, 
 was relieved from his anguish, so has God listened to me 
 and snatched me away from my tribulation. Why should I 
 indeed doubt, that my prayer may not have the same efficacy 
 as the prayer of so many holy men of former ages? Is not 
 God unalterable in his omnipotence and goodness ? Is not 
 his mercy endless ? Why should he begin with me to be 
 void of affection and pitiless? with me who am named 
 after the name of his Son, and who am pleaded for by his 
 intercession, and redeemed by his death ? No ; thy good- 
 ness, O Lord, endures for everlasting. I shall be even so 
 listened to by thee, as all thy children have been, if I only 
 pray to thee with a sanctified soul. 
 
 In this persuasion I now approach thee, O gracious GoJ, 
 and in the morning of this day pour out before thee my iu- 
 
WITH GOD. 231 
 
 most longings. But what is it that I desire from thee ? Do 
 I seek for the power to do good, and to walk in thy ways ? 
 O ! how willingly, how abundantly wilt thou impart it to 
 me. Or, do I, perhaps, only covet temporal and perishable 
 advantages ? O ! that I might not struggle so eagerly after 
 the vanities of this earth ; but rather after the felicities of 
 heaven ! Would that I might submit all my wishes to the 
 will of thy wise providence, and as it becomes a Christian, 
 entertain higher and more holy desires ! O God, so rule yet 
 my heart through thy Spirit, that guided and endowed with 
 such sentiments it may worthily pray to thee. Grant to me 
 that wise, that pious heart by which thou didst distinguish 
 Solomon. If the voice of God should come to me say- 
 ing : " Ask what thou wilt, it shall be granted ;" if I also 
 had my fate at my free choice and in my hands ; even 
 then let me select as wisely as that monarch did, and speak 
 to thee thus : " Lord, Lord, grant to thy servant an under- 
 standing heart, that he may know good from evil." And this 
 blessing, only this blessing is it, for which I cry to thee this 
 morning. Give me a pious and an understanding heart. 
 With the possession of this good, every other will fall to my 
 lot. Thou wilt give me what my heart wishes, if it be a 
 pious, humble, contented heart. And though I should be 
 deprived of wealth, honour, and other temporal advantages, 
 wisdom and virtue will be to me instead of all, and in the 
 enjoyment of thy grace and thy approbation, I shall have 
 nothing besides to desire. 
 
 JUNE 5. 
 
 Comparison of our own Condition with that of others. 
 
 I SHOULD be much more contented and happy if I were less 
 extravagant in my wishes, and ceased to regard with envy 
 and rivalry the condition of my more prosperous brethren. 
 Too frequently am 1 in the habit of forming compari- 
 sons between myself and others, which equally insult the 
 wise providence of God, and disturb my own peace of 
 mind. " Why am I not/' often say to myself, " as rich, as 
 
232 MORNING COMMUNINGS 
 
 honoured, as fortunate, as satisfied in all my wants, as that 
 man is who has as little merit as myself?" How easily do I 
 forget, amid these comparisons, the benefits and advantages 
 which God has granted to me, and the debt of gratitude 
 with which I am loaded, and which is due to him from me, 
 for them ! I do not observe with what manifold blessings 
 He has favoured me. I observe not that combination of 
 grace, love, and happiness, which I should discover on an 
 attentive view of my situation. I see not those arrangements 
 which God has made to furnish me with everything that I 
 require for a pious life, and even with more. I perceive not 
 the difference which exists between myself and so many 
 thousands who are far from passing their days so tranquilly, 
 and in such abundance as I do. I live in a station in which 
 I enjoy freedom. How many of my fellow-creatures are 
 shut up within impenetrable walls, are compelled to breathe 
 an empoisoned air, to lie on the hard floor, and to languish 
 in vain after the rays of the sun ! I rested softly during the 
 past night, and in health, now inhale the fresh breezes of the 
 morn : how many thousands of my mortal kindred watched 
 out sombre hours amid agony and moans, and have com- 
 menced the present day with affliction and sickness ! I pos- 
 sess as much as is needful for my bodily sustenance : how 
 many millions, on the contrary, are constrained to weep in 
 vain for bread and nourishment ! I enjoy a sound constitu- 
 tion: O ! how many are stretched on beds of disease, and 
 feel on every new movement new pains ! and dare I still 
 be discontented at my own lot ? Can I envy others on ac- 
 count of their good fortune, while yet so many more have 
 cause to envy me on account of my advantages ! Can I 
 murmur at the destiny which God has appointed to me, 
 when it unquestionably is the best possible for my powers 
 and qualifications? 
 
 O ! how deeply should I plunge myself in sin, were I to 
 indulge in such a disposition ! No, never shall the idea quit 
 my heart, that the station which thou hast ordained to me, 
 my God, is for me the most beneficial. And since a satisfied, 
 contented heart, is the chief good of life, let me arrive at this 
 felicity, and no further wrong thee through fretfulness and 
 complaints. Remind me continually of my own unworthi- 
 ness which by no means deserves so many manifestations of 
 
WITH GOD. 233 
 
 kindness as thou hast displayed to me, during nay life. Let 
 this feeling excite me to praise thee for every benefit, how- 
 ever small it may appear, and strengthen me in my reliance 
 on thee. And how is it possible that I should mistrust thy 
 gracious governance, when I have daily new and augmented 
 proofs of thy wisdom and benignity ? No, it must remain 
 for ever the principle and groundwork of all my thoughts arid 
 actions, to found my hopes on thee, to fear thee, and to love 
 thee. With these sentiments, I shall always be impressed 
 with the conviction of the happiness of being placed under 
 thy sway. Thy fear will preserve me from iniquity, and thy 
 love comfort me under all circumstances. And with such 
 sentiments I shall be able to await all thy decrees with resig- 
 nation, and full of consolation also even to meet death. For 
 how can I expect anything evil in death, from a God who 
 has done to me nothing but good in my life ? 
 
 JUNE 6. 
 
 The Contemplation of God's boundless Love. 
 
 THIS morning is a period of reflection. The less I am eu- 
 tangledin the distractions of the senses, the more capable am 
 I of employing myself in holy meditation. And what is 
 more worthy of my musings than the unspeakable love of my 
 God, of which he has this morning presented to me new tes- 
 timonies ? But how can I reflect upon the love of God with- 
 out being astonished at its immensity, and without resolving 
 to love him everlastingly in requital ? How worthy of won- 
 der is the love of a God whose delight it is to bless his crea- 
 tures and rejoice them ; and who created the human race 
 only that they might be exalted to the highest pinnacle of 
 felicity, and feel reciprocal fondness for him ? But does my 
 heart bear witness to me, that I love him with ardent grati- 
 tude and sincere reliance ; that I acknowledge his benefits ; 
 that I deem myself happy, when through devotion and piety 
 I can attain to a closer connexion with my heavenly Father? 
 
 With shame and penitence I must confess, thou God of 
 love, that I am also among those who think perversely and 
 
"234 MORNING COMMUNINGS 
 
 act ignobly. I love thee neither so vehemently, nor with so 
 much warmth, nor in such singleness of heart, as I ought to 
 do in return for thy infinite tenderness towards me. I am 
 not yet in that blessed situation that I can say, " Lord, if I have 
 only thee, I ask nothing from heaven or earth.'' Ah ! the 
 love of temporal things has still far too much dominion over 
 my heart. This blinds and governs me, this drags me along 
 in its torrent, this causes me as often to forget thy love as 
 my own duty. O ! might the spectacle of nature, thy pro- 
 duction, which is so glorious and inexhaustible might the 
 contemplation of the benefits through which thou hast so gra- 
 ciously prospered my life, warm and elevate my heart to fer- 
 vent attachment towards thee ! Yes, if I desire longer to 
 live, it is that I may dedicate my life to thy love, that I may 
 employ thy favours to thy glorification, and become deserving 
 of thy blessing. 
 
 I must seek my greatness and my felicity, in loving thee 
 and in being beloved by thee. I must set my heart on that 
 life where both objects will receive at length their complete 
 accomplishment ; where I shall eternally love thee, and where 
 thou wilt eternally love me. 
 
 Now, even to-day, let me labour to this end ; this let me 
 wish; this let me obtain. May thy love direct me in the 
 season of prosperity ; may it satisfy me in the hour of plea- 
 sure ; may it console me in the time of misfortune ; may it 
 transport me in death, and attend me into eternity ! O ! how 
 shall I there love thee, infinite Being, so worthy of all love 
 and adoration! 
 
 JUNE 7. 
 
 Longing after Tranquillity and Rest. 
 
 As a traveller tormented by the dust and the heat, threatened 
 by dangers, and harassed by privations, longs after his home 
 and repose, so longs man on his earthly journey after rest, 
 and yet finds it not. On all sides the evils and imperfections 
 of life disturb and disquiet him ; on all sides perils, anxieties, 
 and afflictions, press upon his soul ! lingering sufferings fre- 
 
WITH GOD. 235 
 
 quently follow short-lived joys, and bitter disappointment 
 eager desire ; the most affectionate zeal for a brother's welfare 
 is frequently rewarded by ingratitude and vexation. And if 
 the outward world assails not his peace, then it is even his 
 own weak, faint heart that renders him unhappy and wretched. 
 How often, with sighs, have I myself experienced this ! how 
 often have I forgotten in my despondency, in my discontent- 
 ment, in my immoderate anxiety about the future, that it is 
 sadness enough for us that every day has its own distress ! 
 Be it, then, to-day determined before God that I will not 
 again be unmindful of this truth, and that I will not distract 
 myself with care concerning the morrow. Let me determine 
 to suffer like a man and a Christian, to enjoy prudently and 
 thankfully, and commend all my ways to the Lord. Truly I 
 dare not hope that the remainder of my life in this world will 
 be free from solicitude, my worldly happiness undisturbed, 
 my heart ever gay and cheerful in hope ; but this feeble, pu- 
 sillanimous heart will remain tranquil and comforted if it be 
 mindful of its heavenly calling, if it believe in the promise of 
 its Redeemer, and consider that the troubles of this passing 
 existence are of no account when balanced with the glory 
 that shall hereafter be displayed to the true worshippers of 
 God. One day certainly perhaps soon, the longing of my 
 heart after ease and felicity will be gratified in a new and 
 better world : soon will the toilsome and thorn-strewed path 
 which leads to heaven be ended; for even the days of woe 
 speedily pass over, and between joy and grief we come, ere 
 we are aware, to the goal. And this goal is indeed well worthy 
 of the struggle and effort with which we must urge towards 
 it, and that we should strive indefatigably and assiduously to 
 obtain it. O ! do thou thyself direct my steps to this great and 
 glorious goal, my Lord and my God ! be near me with thy 
 Spirit when, disconsolate, I despair of myself. If the world 
 has only calamities and miseries for me, let me see thy heaven 
 opened, that I may endure courageously, and not become weary 
 till thou shalt call me away from my mortal day's labour, which 
 of a truth is a burdensome and grievous, but yet a blessed, 
 day's labour a sowing for the everlasting harvest in the land 
 of promise. O ! how can I be dismayed, since thou protect- 
 est me, so long as I walk in thy ways ! How can I become 
 weary, since thou daily strengthenest me, and art powerful 
 
236 MORNING COMMUNINGS 
 
 in my weakness, if I only pray to thee with fervour, and put 
 my trust in thee ! No, no trouble, no difficulty, no hardship, 
 no pain, and no time shall remove me, my Father, to a dis- 
 tance from thee : if I live, I live to the "Lord ; if I die, I 
 die also to the Lord. 
 
 JUNE 8. 
 
 Reflections on the Omnipresence and Omniscience of the 
 Almighty. 
 
 How encouraging, how consolatory, and how replete with 
 admonition is for me the belief of the omniscience and the 
 omnipresence of God ; how does it refresh my soul when 
 the obscurity arid the casualty of the future, and the frailty 
 of my own nature, inspire me with melancholy thoughts ! 
 Yes, it enlivens me with cheerful confidence, and excites me 
 to the holiest zeal, to remember that the All-benevolent is 
 near me, that the Just and the Righteous is the witness of my 
 conduct, the observer of my secret works, the protector of 
 my undertakings. I cease to complain that the unthankful- 
 ness of the world is my recompense ; to sigh over the miscon- 
 ception of my sincerest intentions ; to be discomforted because 
 I am forced, notwithstanding all my genuine zeal for good- 
 ness, to contend against obstacles, when I consider that God 
 knows my heart, that he is the rewarder of all that is good, 
 that he sees into the things that are hidden. And how power- 
 fully does this recollection console me, when a sorrow lies at 
 my heart, which I cannot entrust to any one, or an anxiety 
 which the Lord alone can alleviate, or when all earthly assist- 
 ance fails me in times of danger. But how strongly also 
 does the reflection of the universal presence of God warn ine 
 not to yield in privacy to the attractions of vice, not to sully 
 my heart through wicked imaginations and profligate desires ; 
 not merely before men, but in the corner where no man's 
 eye beholds me, to do good and faint not in my work ; for 
 God proves me and knows me, therefore will I give heed to 
 this warning, that I may escape the temptation into which 
 vanity and ambition seduce me, through eye-service to court 
 
WITH GOD. 237 
 
 the multitude, to dishonour myself, and to offend against my 
 conscience. I will then especially contemplate with awe the 
 immediate presence of the Deity, when I have duties to fulfil, 
 which cost my wavering heart self-denial and subjection ; or 
 when I am invited to do good in silent retirement, to exercise 
 offices of mercy unnoticed and un applauded by mankind, to 
 endure wrongs in patient stillness, to labour under disease, or 
 to undergo hardships, without the hope that my merit will 
 ever be known or remunerated. If God is for me, be against 
 me who may, still w 7 ill I speak with pious confidence, and 
 perform with joy and fidelity all the righteousness for which 
 the Lord grants me opportunity and strength ; for the Omni- 
 present, perfect in equity, is a spectator of my actions, and on 
 this account I can be comforted and glad, even though the 
 world repay me with hatred and envy. Whatever I have ac- 
 complished or endured on earth with love and integrity, and 
 in full reliance on the Ruler of the world, will be recompensed 
 unto me in heaven. Like my Saviour, I shall enter, at the 
 appointed season, into the everlasting home where praise and 
 honour and peace await all those who with patience and godly 
 endeavours have directed their aim to eternal life. 
 
 JUNE 9. 
 Scrutiny into the secret Motives of our Conduct. 
 
 I WILL examine myself in this hour of morn, whether earnest 
 reverence towards the Holy and the Righteous, who has 
 written his law in my understanding, be influential in all my 
 actions, in order that the All-wise Searcher of hearts may re- 
 gard me with complacency. I will direct my research to 
 discover what motive impelled me, when I have fulfilled my 
 duty and remained true to the vocation which the Almighty 
 has given me in charge ; whether selfishness or vanity 
 swayed me ; whether the wish to be seen and commended by 
 men reigned in my heart ; whether flattery was dear to me ; 
 whether the fear of men, or the desire of pleasing men, 
 allured me ; or whether I had the courage to despise praise 
 and censure, loss and gain, and to maintain my conscience 
 
238 MORNING COMMITNINGS 
 
 unwounded. For how little can I rejoice in my virtue, if I 
 have not done good out of filial veneration for my Father 
 whose courts are on high ; if my bosom does not testify to 
 me that his grace is more desirable to me than all mortal 
 honour and renown. But I dare not boast that I have arrived 
 at this elevation of virtue ; that my heart is quite free from 
 vanity and selfishness ; that the noblest principles have 
 always guided me, the purest views inspired me, and the best 
 ends presented themselves to my mind, when I have acted 
 uprightly for the common good, and like the friend of man- 
 kind, and not swerved from the path of my duty and my 
 calling ! O ! could I even hide from myself that my heart 
 is yet so weak, so foolish, and so inconstant, thou, Omniscient, 
 knowest, yea, and explorest, this feeble heart ; thou knowest 
 what my thoughts are, thou understandest them without mis- 
 take. Therefore will I confess to myself and my conscience 
 that I am still a servant of men, and not thy obedient child, 
 my God and my Father ; that much good which I have done 
 with zeal and fidelity, I did only because it promised the 
 satisfaction of my aspiring notions, or because I calculated on 
 thy reward, thou Recompenser of integrity. With shame 
 and penitence do I perceive the imperfection of my virtue ; 
 but with a sincere determination I avow to thee amendment, 
 my God and my Lord : be gracious to me, and cast me not 
 from thee ! Reverence for thee shall never again depart 
 from my heart, it shall lead me in all truth, and strengthen 
 me for the strictest fulfilment of my duties ; it shall be the 
 support of my frail heart, and its protection, and its vigour, 
 so long as I live. 
 
 JUNE 10. 
 
 Homage towards God excited by his Works. 
 
 LORD, my soul praises thee with ardent emotion ! What is 
 there more noble, what is there more blessed, than to exalt 
 thee, thou source of happiness ! I know that thou hast 
 deigned to distinguish me by a great prerogative, in granting 
 me the power to worship thee ; and I feel how vast a happi- 
 ness it is to dare to be a herald of thy wonders. Graciously 
 
WITH GOD. 239 
 
 dost thou look down upon my thanksgiving celebration, and 
 while I yet kneel on my knees before thee, thou already de- 
 creest to me a new blessing. How ravishing is it, Almighty, 
 to contemplate thy miracles and proclaim thy praise ! In in- 
 tercourse with thee, eternity becomes a short day, and the 
 minutes wing their flight in blessings. Lord, my boast, teach 
 me worthily to extol thee, and unfold to me the wonders of 
 thy goodness ! 
 
 Jehovah, I see that thy greatness is boundless and beyond 
 measure ; I am sensible and acknowledge that my strains 
 cannot rise to thy glory. Heaven and earth describe to me 
 thy majesty ; but I cannot utter it after them. This only I 
 can say : " Great art thou, Jehovah, and incomprehensible 
 is thy dominion ! " How many marvellous works of thy om- 
 nipotence dost thou let me daily behold. Thou veilest the 
 heavens with clouds, and thou preparest the rain which 
 streams down in fertilizing showers. Thou commandest the 
 hill to be fruitful, and the fields to assume their livery of 
 bloom. Thy hands hold out their food to the animal creation. 
 The eyes of all wait upon thee, thou givest them their nourish- 
 ment in due season ; thou replenishest with pleasure what- 
 ever lives. Thy voice runs through the globe, and thy infi- 
 nite power follows it to the boundaries of the earth. From 
 thee issue the darts of the lightning, and at thy nod the thun- 
 der rolls. Thou speakest ; and it is done. Thou ordainest ; 
 and the decree stands indissoluble. Thou callest the morn- 
 ing ; and it comes, and scatters joy and felicity around. Jeho- 
 vah, thou art the bounteous Benefactor of all thy creatures. 
 
 Soul, that hast hitherto reflected on the extraordinary 
 doings of thy God, what delight oughtest thou to receive 
 from this sacred meditation ! How greatly shouldst thou 
 compassionate the insensibility of those who view the morn- 
 ing sun without feeling, and gaze without emotion on the 
 theatre of nature. I esteem myself happy in my sensations. 
 But would that they might not so soon vanish, so soon lose 
 their influence ! Would that I might, even amid the dissi- 
 pations of the world, entertain a lively sense of my Creator, 
 and prefer no pleasure, no happiness, to that gratification 
 and to that felicity which I experience in the contemplation 
 and the veneration of my God ! The present day also 
 affords me opportunities of tracing in the gardens and on 
 
240 MORNING COMMUNINGS 
 
 the plains the magnitude of the works of the Founder of the 
 universe. O Lord, let me listen with reverence and rapture, 
 when all creation shouts with a loud voice : " Great are the 
 works of the Almighty ! " Make every plant be to me a moni- 
 tor of instruction. As they, in their whole structure, present 
 an image of thy wise omnipotence ; so let me, in all rny life, 
 and all my actions, evince that I am formed after the verv 
 image of thyself. To publish thy honour, to sing of thy might, 
 and to magnify thy love ; be this my choicest employment on 
 earth, as it will be my most agreeable duty in eternity. 
 
 JUNE 11. 
 
 Search after Happiness. 
 
 WHERE in this life shall I find that happiness after which 
 my heart so anxiously pants ? On this question a great part 
 of my contentment depends. But how difficult is it to be 
 answered ! how difficult is it also to be tranquil and happy ! 
 What station must I select, what measures must I adopt, to 
 discover felicity ! I look around me ; and many thousands 
 of my fellow-mortals put the same interrogations to them- 
 selves, without its solution having any especial influence on 
 their repose. But I will, I must tranquillize myself; and I 
 can do so, because I place my trust in the goodness of God, 
 who will neither disquiet his creatures nor make them un- 
 happy. 
 
 I apply to the great of the earth : but it is not their rank 
 which promises me peace and happiness. The more highly 
 they are elevated above others, the nearer they are to misery. 
 The more they surpass other men in power and exaltation, 
 the heavier are the cares which press upon them, the more 
 urgent the dangers which menace them. Their whole gran- 
 deur is fatiguing and tormenting. Among all those who bow 
 to them, there is not one true friend. Externally they are 
 mirthful, inwardly they groan. Shall I seek happiness in 
 the closets of the sages and the learned ? Their painfully 
 attained knowledge, their straitly confined fame, the viru- 
 lence and the persecution to which they are subject, the fre- 
 
WITH GOD. 241 
 
 quently unavailing toil which they devote towards extending 
 their acquirements, the state of comfortlessness into which, 
 with all their wisdom, the thought of impending death fre- 
 quently casts their minds ; all this tells me that happiness 
 dwells not with the worshippers of science. But those who 
 have their fill of riches, they are perhaps worthy to be en- 
 vied, they are those \vho possess happiness and ease? But 
 wherefore then do I see in these, thus esteemed happy, so many 
 symptoms of vexation ? Wherefore are they so tormented 
 by avarice, wherefore are they so exposed to the malice of 
 the slanderer, and wherefore are they filled with trouble and 
 disquietude in death ? And how can I seek peace and hap- 
 piness among you, ye wretched, who struggle with poverty 
 and want ? Your sighs and your tears convince me that feli- 
 city is not the companion of poverty. Where am I then to 
 find permanent quiet and real happiness ? 
 
 Soul, repeat not anxiously this question. Tranquillity and 
 happiness are near to thee they are within thee, if thou art 
 contented, satisfied, and thankful, and, if indeed, with Chris- 
 tian confidence, thou only placest thy hope in God, who rules 
 all the vicissitudes of fortune. Hadst thou been contented 
 and resigned in Him, long since wouldst thou have found 
 that after which thou strivest ; for, above all, reflect that this 
 world is riot the place where thou canst expect the complete 
 gratification of thy wishes. Thou wilt, notwithstanding thy 
 utmost integrity and thy sincerest disposition to be contented, 
 ever experience cause to desire an amelioration of thy condi- 
 tion. And how glad mayst thou be that this change will in- 
 fallibly follow when thou once arrivest at the visibleness of 
 God. Strengthen thyself with this consideration under the 
 uneasiness and the misery of this passing life, of which, even 
 on the present day, a share is set aside for thee. Only per- 
 form this duty truly and with integrity ; only avoid all vio- 
 lation of thy conscience ; only look with faith to God, thy 
 Father, and thy Redeemer: so wilt thou find peace for thy 
 bosom. This grace will give thee a foretaste of that bliss 
 which will hereafter crown thee in heaven. 
 
242 MORNING COMMUNINGS 
 
 JUNE 12. 
 
 The Thought of Death. 
 
 IN our advanced years, and in the decline of our faculties, 
 no thought more frequently or more imperiously usurps pos- 
 session of the heart than the foreboding of death. I find 
 even now on every side of me a thousand objects which re- 
 mind me of mortality. I need not devote an instant's deep 
 reflection to conclude that I am born to die. I need only 
 consider the fate which one single hour brings with it to so 
 many men. I need only regard myself and the flight of my 
 years, the gradual decay of my powers, and frailty of my 
 body, which increases day by day, and thus shall I be con- 
 vinced of my mortality. Yet still so long as I continue in 
 the land of mortals, little do I contemplate the final period 
 of my existence. While I pass my days in health, in cheer- 
 fulness and abundance, all my ideas are confined to the 
 earth, though at the same time in every moment of joy, 
 death advances nearer towards me. Every thought which I 
 entertain is, as it were, the sand which runs out of the hour- 
 glass of my existence ; and the time which I occupy to draw 
 my breath takes away a portion of my life. 
 
 It is therefore as needful as it is beneficial to think often 
 of death, and to render it the theme of our earnest medita- 
 tion. But I must so think of death as to dispose myself to 
 conquer its terrors, and to quit the world with composure. 
 I must exercise the duties which the contemplation of death 
 naturally renders more obvious. I must direct the remem- 
 brance of death to the correction of my life. I am mortal : 
 dare I then also be so foolish as to abandon myself to vo- 
 luptuousness, which renders dissolution a martyrdom? I 
 am mortal : ought I then to collect uncertain riches, all of 
 which I must leave behind me ? I am mortal : shall I be 
 so bold as to nurture hatred against my foe, though it is pro- 
 bable that death may overtake me in the height of my ini- 
 mical designs? I am mortal : would it be indeed rational 
 to strive as passionately after honour and renown, as if 
 through them I could keep death at a distance, or render it 
 more supportable? I am mortal : can I venture then to weave 
 
WITH GOD. 243 
 
 schemes for the far remote future, when a single instant may 
 raise an indestructible barrier to their execution? I am 
 mortal: does it behove me to brave the Almighty, and 
 despise the eternal? T am mortal : ought I then to live as 
 if I were to live for ever in the world ; to enjoy as if my joys 
 had no boundary ; to proceed onward in sin as if I had not 
 to appear before any tribunal ? No : even because I am 
 mortal, I will strive after the wealth which follows me into 
 eternity ; I will do good and become not fatigued with my 
 efforts; I will employ the short period of my pilgrimage 
 profitably ; I will labour to become always more upright, al- 
 always firmer in faith. I will neglect no opportunity of 
 strengthening myself and others in virtue, since it is so 
 doubtful whether any similar occasions may occur. I will 
 always regard myself as a mortal, and desire only to procure 
 those possessions, those sentiments, that wisdom through the 
 attainment of which I may be able to await death without 
 fear. God, let me as truly execute this purpose, as I have 
 in all sincerity formed it ! 
 
 JUNE 13. 
 
 Hardness of Heart Incompatible with the Christian 
 Profession. 
 
 IF I would bear the Christian name to my honour, and my 
 felicity, I must not be hard, unfriendly, unjust, and ungra- 
 cious towards my brethren : but must enliven and nourish in 
 my breast the impulses of sympathy, pity, and benevolence. 
 He that can be cruel, whether from temper, desire of revenge, 
 or the itch of gain, deserves not the sun which gives him 
 light, the life which he possesses, nor the appellation which 
 he bears. When God made man, he created him accord- 
 ing to his own image in this, that he infused love and 
 kindness into his heart, and destined him for an instru- 
 ment of his goodness. Our own form is even sufficient to 
 convince us of this. Man is provided with no organs of 
 barbarity, but, on the contrary, with those of affection and 
 compassion. He has eyes to see the needy and the helpless, 
 
244 MORNING COMMUNINGS 
 
 and to distil tears at the spectacle. He has ears which are to 
 hear the complaints, the sighs, and the wailings of the op- 
 pressed. He has hands to assist, and to afford help to others, 
 He has a tongue to plead for the widow and the orphan, and 
 to speak comfort to the wretched ; he has a heart replenished 
 with feeling, of which the emotions can be suppressed only 
 by extreme violence. He is both created and redeemed to 
 admire the love of God, and to practise love also himself. 
 The whole life of Jesus, and especially his conduct in afflic- 
 tion, is not less an example for me than it is my atonement. 
 This Divine friend of man employed all his great and godly 
 powers in beneficence. How was his heart broken at the 
 sight of the necessitous ! How tenderly did he weep when 
 he beheld the troubled in tears, or the sinner becoming miser- 
 able ! How attentive was his ear to the cry and to the 
 groans of those that suffered under want, and to those of the 
 persecuted ! How unwearied was his love in going up and 
 down the earth to visit the diseased, and to dispense the 
 blessings of his benevolence wherever such as required his aid 
 were to be found ! How busy were his hands to dry up the 
 moistened cheek, to heal the sick, to awaken the dead, to em- 
 brace sinners ! How did his lips flow with consolation ! 
 How eloquent was his tongue to direct the erring aright ! 
 His daily work was love and munificence. 
 
 O ! that it might also be made my daily occupation to do 
 good and to exercise love. How many opportunities shall I 
 find for this purpose, if I have only the inclination to avail 
 myself of them ! No one must this day mourn over my 
 sternness, no one pour out to God complaints against my in- 
 sensibility, no one depart from me in sorrow. Rather let 
 each of the poor and the wretched be rejoiced by my help ; 
 and each of these unfortunates bless me. And then, my God, 
 may these blessings follow me, ,jy thy grace throughout my 
 whole life, and attend me to thy throne ! 
 
WITH GOD. 245 
 
 JUNE 14. 
 
 Faithfulness of the Lord towards those who truly worship 
 Him. 
 
 MY eternal and almighty Benefactor, if I possess thy grace, 
 then do I possess all that I can either desire or hope for my 
 welfare. Thou art my highest felicity. Thee have I chosen 
 for my confidence and for my God. I consecrated myself to 
 thy love on that happy day when I entered into a bond with 
 thee, and became thy property. Then I renounced all friend- 
 ship, all honour, and all lust of the world, and selected thy 
 favour as my highest good, and swore to thee everlasting 
 fidelity. This vow I have since often renewed : and should 
 I now become a violator of my league, should I wantonly 
 sport with thy grace, and cast away my reliance on thee ? 
 Far be it from me, O gracious God, that I should ever act so 
 foolishly. How much experience have I already of the false- 
 hood of the world ! But thy favour, and trust in thy fatherly 
 love have never deceived me. In all my miseries thou wast 
 my refuge, my castle, my rescuer, my rock, on which I de- 
 pended. When there was no one to release me, then has thy 
 mighty hand set me free. Thou hast relieved me of my bur- 
 den, and dispelled my fears. Thou hast brought light to me 
 out of the darkness, and changed my night into day. When 
 the world caused me nothing but disquietude and care, I have 
 found silent and undisturbed repose in thee. Thou art my 
 refuge, proved by long trial ; and I resign to thee, with firm 
 confidence, my future guidance. I cannot go astray when I 
 am guided by infinite wisdom ; I must be safe in the arms of 
 infinite goodness ; and to these therefore I devote myself 
 with perfect security. I will receive everything thankfully 
 that comes from thy hands ; I will not take a single step ex- 
 cept to follow thee. Thou hast an undeniable right to act 
 with me according to thy will ; and I prize it as my happi- 
 ness to submit myself to thy pleasure and to resign myself to 
 thy providence. 
 
 Lord, what is man that thou so thinkest of him ? that thou, 
 who art so blessed and independently happy, troublest thyself 
 about the good of mortals, and takest as kind and as faithful 
 
 
246 MORNING COMMUNINGS 
 
 a concern in them as if they could disturb thy invariable 
 bliss ? Thou seemest to share our afflictions and to sympa- 
 thize with us in our sorrows. No friend shows himself so 
 zealous to help us as thy love renders thee ; nor can means 
 ever be wanting to thee to assist those who put their affiance 
 in thee and in thy mercy. Thy providence finds a way through 
 all opposition. No hindrance hems in or retards thy views. 
 Thy counsel must be accomplished, thy work must succeed ; 
 for with thee nothing is impossible. Wherever I look, I be- 
 hold proofs of thy power. The whole creation speaks for 
 thee, and reproaches me with my unbelief. 
 
 Almighty God! pardon me my want of faith, while I con- 
 fess that it is unanswerable. This life vouchsafed to me 
 anew, which thou hast hitherto maintained against all as- 
 saults, is one of the strongest incitements to me to resign my 
 life to thy charge. Now, Lord, I trust to thy goodness and 
 cast myself upon thy promises. In these sentiments will I 
 persevere, not this day only, but my whole life long, and even 
 when all hope appears to have vanished. 
 
 JUNE 15. 
 Contemplations of Futurity. 
 
 To be able to think of the future is indeed an important pri- 
 vilege granted to the human race, but one which is either 
 very badly employed or carelessly neglected by the greater 
 part of mankind. It is equally as culpable to banish the 
 future from our sight, as it is to grieve ourselves concerning 
 it. If I act wisely, I shall use this power according to the 
 intention of God. I owe it to myself to extend my concern 
 relative to my own situation further than the present. And 
 this duty is the more incumbent upon me, because my hap- 
 piness and my unhappiness are not bounded to this imme- 
 diate life, but I have also much to hope or to fear in eternity. 
 Yet this hope and this fear in respect to the future depend, 
 without doubt, on the direction of my present conduct. 
 Such a regulation of conduct demands consideration and a 
 constant contemplation of the future. I must always regard 
 
WITH GOD. 247 
 
 my actions according to the influence which they may have 
 on the time to come, and constantly ask myself: Will this or 
 that object, which I now deem so agreeable and important, 
 be equally pleasing and bear as high a value hereafter? 
 Shall I judge of those points which I at present consider in- 
 different, when I shall have obtained more enlarged intel- 
 lectual views? Will my errors also then appear to me as 
 trivial and as insignificant, when I shall have arrived at a 
 better knowledge of good and evil? Shall I then likewise 
 account the loss of time as a little matter, when I shall stand 
 on the borders of eternity? 
 
 Love for myself demands that I should think with earnest- 
 ness on the future ; but would it well accord with this love if 
 I anticipated for my yet remaining days nothing but evil? 
 By so doing I should greatly torment myself, and this tor- 
 ment would still in manifold instances be to no purpose, since 
 the evil which disquiets me thus in apprehension frequently 
 does not really ensue, or at least occurs under such circum- 
 stances as render it extremely light. I should too by so 
 doing deny the wise and benignant Ruler of the world, who 
 out of ill produces good. I should make my disbelief public 
 arid evident, and deserve all the harm which I prophesy to 
 myself, and which I apprehend. But I should on the other 
 hand behave with equal folly, if I promised myself from the 
 future nothing but unalloyed comfort, and thus placed myself 
 in a state incapable of struggling with unexpected difficulties 
 
 Futurity shall, therefore, be the subject of my meditation, 
 but wisdom shall guide me in the task. Never shall the 
 future disturb me, since I know that He who governs it wills 
 for me that which is best. Yet it shall be my study to hold 
 myself prepared for unpleasant events, that they may not 
 overwhelm me by their suddenness. Especially shall it be 
 my endeavour to fit myself, by faithfully honouring God, and 
 by performing my duty uprightly, for that grand epoch which 
 brings changeless felicity in its course. I will keep eternity 
 always before my eyes, and through a rightly- ordered and 
 assiduous consideration of it render it present to me. I will 
 even now so think as I shall hereafter wish that I had 
 thought. I will now even so act as I shall wish that I had 
 acted, when I appear before God's throne. Thus shall I find 
 in the future my sure happiness. 
 
 
248 MORNING COMMUNINGS 
 
 JUNE 16. 
 
 Adoration of God. 
 
 How wonderful, O God, are thy works ! How unsearch- 
 able is thy wisdom ! How worthy of astonishment is thy 
 power ! Thou governest in everlasting dominion : thou art 
 mighty and adorable, and thy greatness is unutterable. I 
 will speak of thy wonders and publish thy goodness. 
 
 Heaven and earth are thine. Thou hast spread out the 
 firmament, and laid out the foundations of the solid globe ; 
 midnight and noon-day hast thou created, and all the moun- 
 tains shout for joy in thy name, Thou hast an arm of vast 
 strength, invincible is thy hand, and high is thy right hand. 
 Thy voice moves on the waters : thy voice resounds in the 
 thunder : thy voice crumbles the rocks to pieces, and rends 
 the oaks of a hundred years asunder. Thou art terrible ! 
 who then can stand before thee in thy wrath? Thou lookest 
 at the earth, and it quakes : thou touchest the hills, and they 
 smoke : thou speakest, the sea rages : thou commandest, 
 the waves are still. If all the world rises in fury against 
 thee, thou layest up honour ; and if it girds itself against 
 thee, thou art as a champion in the battle. 
 
 Thou art the God who performest wonders ; thou hast 
 manifested thy marvels among all people. All thy works 
 shall give thanks to thee, O Lord, and thy elect shall praise 
 thee, and boast of the glory of thy kingdom, and talk of thy 
 Dower. For whatever the plains bring forth is in thy hand, 
 and all the high places are thine. The sea is thine, for thou 
 hast made it ; and thy hands have prepared the dry land. 
 Thou art wise and mighty. Who has ever prospered that 
 set himself against thee ? Thou dost great things, which 
 are not to be searched into, and wonders without number. 
 Thou art the holy and the righteous: no man can appease 
 thy anger. Before thee all the proud must bow. Hell is 
 discovered to thee, and the night is to thee as clear day. 
 Thou countest the stars and callest them all by name. Thou 
 art great and of great skill, and it is incomprehensible how 
 thou rulest. 
 
 Thou hast done great things for me, for thou art mighty, 
 
WITH GOD. 249 
 
 and holy is thy name. Thou art my Father and my Lord : 
 it is thou who hast made me and fostered me. I thank thee, 
 moreover, that I am wonderfully fashioned. My bones were 
 not hidden from thee when I was first shaped. Thy eyes 
 beheld me while I was yet formless, and all my days that 
 were to be were noted in thy records. Thou hast clothed 
 me with flesh and skin ; with joints and veins hast thou knit 
 me together. Life and enjoyment hast thou bestowed upon 
 me, and thy observance maintains my breath. Thou art my 
 confidence, Lord ; my hope from my youth upwards. In 
 thee have I trusted, even from my mother's womb, and on 
 thee, so long as I exist, I will rely. O Lord my God, 
 amazing are the deeds which thou displayest to me ! I will 
 proclaim them, and say of them : " Truly they are not to be 
 counted." My mouth shall declare thy praise, and all flesh 
 shall sanctify thy name for ever and eternally. 
 
 Amen ! Praise and honour, thanksgiving and glory, be 
 to thee, O God, from everlasting to everlasting ! Praised 
 be thy illustrious name, and let all lands be filled with thy 
 glory. 
 
 JUNE 17. 
 
 Man's Efforts futile without the Divine Aid. 
 
 I THEN feel myself particularly conscious of the feebleness 
 and impotence of my mortal nature, when, refreshed by 
 sleep, I awake to a new day of life ; and so far from this 
 sensation disquieting or making me sad, it rather instigates 
 me to the humblest confidence in God, my preserver and 
 defender ; and strengthens me in the reliance that I have in 
 him, a friend and helper in every need, that he is strong in 
 me, who am weak, and that he averts from me every dan- 
 ger, which belongs not to the plan of his wisdom. Yes, I 
 see, O God, with emotion and gratitude, that the happiness 
 which I have hitherto enjoyed is thy work, and not the effect 
 of my own knowledge arid understanding. Did the fruit of 
 my labour depend solely on my own intellect, my own in- 
 dustry, and my own solicitude, in most instances, alas ! all 
 
250 MORNING COMMUNINGS 
 
 my toil would be unavailing : for thou, the Disposer of all 
 things, bast it in thy power to order and direct all circum- 
 stances ; and on thy pleasure alone depends the fortunate 
 result for which my heart longs, and which rewards and 
 crowns my efforts. I watch to no purpose, if thou guardest 
 me not ; in vain do I take care, if thou preservest not my 
 breath ; to no use do I form schemes for my prosperity, if 
 thou grantest not to them their completion. I attempt with- 
 out success the purification and the amendment of my frail 
 heart, if thou vouchsafest not to me thy Holy Spirit, and to 
 the will addest the .performance; if thou, through the or- 
 dainments of thy wisdom, turnest not away from me strong 
 temptations, and placest me not in those relations with 
 society, in which my mind is confirmed and encouraged 
 in virtue, and kept aloof from the impression of bad ex- 
 ample. 
 
 O ! with what emotion do I look back on the expended 
 portion of my life, and confess that thou hast led me, pro- 
 tected me, ruled me, and blessed me according to thy infi- 
 nite goodness, and that to thy decrees alone I am indebted 
 for the tranquillity of my soul, and the peace of my con- 
 science. 
 
 JUNE 18. 
 
 All is Vanity. 
 
 THE whole world is a theatre of vanity. " All is vanity," 
 Solomon has already declared ; and at the spectacle of every 
 thing I am constrained to repeat: "All is indeed vain!" I 
 have not been so long on the earth without having received 
 reiterated proofs of this assertion. I turn my thoughts back 
 to my past existence; and behold it is vain. My former juve- 
 nile bloom, my infantine pleasures, my gay vacancy of mind, my 
 tranquillity, my innocence, where are all these advantages ? 
 They are no more ; for they were vain. I then regard my 
 present life, and the joys which still recreate me : how soon, 
 too, will the hour be here when I must say of them also : 
 " Ah ! they were all entirely vain ! " Now is the most agree- 
 
WITH GOD 251 
 
 able season of the year; but how few weeks will yet elapse 
 before I shall be forced to exclaim : " This decoration of the 
 fields, these delights of the country, this general sweetness 
 of nature, this smiling aspect of the trees, this universally 
 ravishing advance of summer, ah ! it is all quite vain ! " 
 
 But can nothing then shelter me from this predominant 
 vanity of all the surrounding creation nothing permanent 
 present itself in opposition to this apparently all-pervading 
 transitoriness and instability? O ! how miserable should 1 
 be if this were my real situation ! But, thank God ! in the 
 midst of all these vanities there are still possessions which 
 are neither evanescent, nor productive of disquietude. Wis- 
 dom, godliness, the approbation of the Lord, the gratifica- 
 tions of the soul in the chief good, endeavours and strivings 
 for the glorification of the Almighty these, these posses- 
 sions are exalted above all the vanity of the world. Here is 
 inconstancy: there everything follows me into eternity. Here 
 are shadows and dreams : there light and truth. Here is 
 food for the eyes : there refreshment for the soul. Here is 
 sadness : there ecstasy. Here is lo&s : there gain. 
 
 Bend all thy powers, O soul, to strive after these real and 
 lasting blessings ; and form, with the dawn of this day, a 
 firm resolution to be neither blinded nor seduced by the ob- 
 jects of vanity. Accustom thyself to Solomon's mode of 
 thinking : say at the view of every vain allurement that may 
 to-day offer itself to thy notice : " It is all mere vanity. Exact 
 not from me, friends, my attachment : your friendship is 
 vain. Riches, I will not abandon myself to you: your gifts 
 are vain. Wisdom of men, I will not idolize thee : thy 
 superiority is vain. Honour, tliou shalt not charm me: thy 
 enticements are vain. Life, thou shalt not be my only wish : 
 my attachment to thee and thy allurements is still vain. 
 World, thou shalt not have dominion over my heart : thy- 
 self, and all that is in thee are vain. I will seek those pos- 
 sessions, that happiness, those joys, which shall even then 
 remain, when all the vanity of the earth has perished. I 
 am destined for God, for Jesus, for heaven. God, and 
 Jesus, and heaven shall be the only objects of my love, of 
 my sacrifices, of my pleasures." 
 
252 MORNING COMMUNINGS 
 
 JUNE 19. 
 
 The Duty of Humility. 
 
 HOWEVER much godly fear, knowledge, understanding, and 
 the love of my fellow- creatures may gladden my heart, still 
 all these desirable qualities constitute only a blinding splen- 
 dour, and not blissful piety, so long as my spirit is deficient in 
 that humility, the first of all Christian virtues, which gives 
 to the mind strength and joy fulness for the exercise of rever- 
 ence towards the Divine Being, for resignation to the will of 
 God, and for faithful obedience, and which preserves it from 
 self-darkness and pride, and incites it to steadfast devotion. 
 And to what sacred feeling can I, a weak sinful mortal, be 
 more strongly engaged by duty, than to humility ? What 
 good is there in me, that I have a right to be proud ? Is not 
 all my righteousness God's work, and is it not mixed with 
 numerous failings and follies ? Can I in truth boast with a 
 clear conscience of my fidelity and willingness, or of my obe- 
 dience and submission, or of my integrity and love of veracity? 
 No, I must confess before thee, thou Searcher of hearts, with 
 humiliation and penitence, that I have sinned against thee, 
 and that I am not worthy to be called thy child. I must con- 
 fess, that I have not always fulfilled my duties and thy com- 
 mandments with a ready alacrity, nor always performed them 
 out of love and veneration towards thee, but often from vanity, 
 and in order to be praised by men ; and that I have neg- 
 lected and overlooked many opportunities of doing good, which 
 thou hast granted to me. How dare I then, with this con- 
 viction, to extol my own virtue, or to be proud of my actions ? 
 No, lowliness and subjection alone become me, who stumble 
 as a child: only through the most humble acknowledgment 
 of my own weakness and sirifuiness can I become worthy of 
 of thy approbation. So often as I pour out my heart to thee 
 in prayer, I will strike my breast and say : " Lord, be merci- 
 ful to me a sinner ! " Never, Almighty Father, will I forget 
 that I am dependent upon thee, and that I strive in vain to 
 withdraw myself from thy omnipotence, or to rebel against 
 thy decrees. In humility will I yield myself up to thy coun- 
 sels, and with awe confess, " Lord, what thou doest, is well 
 done?"' 
 
WITH GOD. 253 
 
 With these sentiments I shall succeed in correcting my 
 heart, and shall daily advance in goodness; for humility 
 opens my eyes, that I may perceive my errors ; but pride 
 blinds me, and deprives me of the power to practise what is 
 right; it renders me careless and indolent, and plunges me 
 into perdition. 
 
 JUNE 20. 
 
 The Knowledge of Truth derived from God and his holy 
 Scriptures. 
 
 I OWE it to God alone that I know the way of truth and wis- 
 dom, and that I have strength to walk in this way, and to 
 escape the meandering paths of folly. It is God's work, that 
 I know my salvation and my destination, that I know how to 
 value properly the goods and the joys of the earth, and per- 
 mit myself not to be dazzled by perishable gold and silver, 
 for which fools barter the peace of their conscience and the 
 quiet of their hearts, without reflecting that their souls are 
 immortal, and that their dwelling-place is in heaven. How 
 happy am I rendered by this knowledge, when I allow my- 
 self to be guided by it : how undisturbed is my tranquillity, 
 when I obey its exhortation, and pursue not the path of 
 vanity, but the footsteps of wisdom, in which my Saviour has 
 already preceded me ! Then no repentance grieves me, then 
 I feel no terror, but look with cheerful hope towards a mys- 
 terious futurity, and to that more sublime existence which is 
 prepared for me in heaven. In order, therefore, that I may 
 not wander from the road which leads to my eternal health, 
 I will often and thankfully drink out of the rich fountain of 
 wisdom which God has opened for me in the holy word. 
 The book which is above all books shall be my counsellor, 
 my teacher, my guide ; I will renovate in my heart the tidings 
 of life, which this volume contains, whenever I feel that 
 my affection for that which is good has been enfeebled, and 
 thai my heavenly calling, my everlasting country, is lost to 
 m\ ^'ght. Thus will my soul be strengthened by God himself, 
 both in the inclination for, and the exercise of righteousness; it 
 
254 MORNING COMMUNINGS 
 
 will fail not in its great appointment, will trifle not with its 
 high worth, will forfeit not its rest ; it will not aspire merely 
 at that which is on the earth, but it will raise itself on high to 
 that which decayeth not and is treasured above ; and neither 
 will temporal sufferings disquiet it, nor the world's wealth in- 
 toxicate it, nor death affright it. 
 
 Omniscient God ! grant to me the spirit of wisdom and 
 understanding, that I may this day, and on every yet remaining 
 day of my life, order my course before thee ! How much wis- 
 dom do I require, that I may choose nothing save that which 
 is truly profitable for me ! How much wisdom, that I may 
 not allow myself to be carried away, and brought into destruc- 
 tion by the vanities of the world ! How much wisdom that I 
 may act conformably both to my common and my particular 
 profession ! How much wisdom, finally, that I may reflect 
 salutarily on death and eternity ! This whole extent this hap- 
 piness of wisdom, vouchsafe to me, O merciful God! Without 
 thee I am abandoned to folly, and through folly to perditiou 
 for ever* 
 
 JUNE 21. 
 
 Time and Eternity. 
 
 TIME and eternity are the grand considerations wmcn I must 
 always maintain in my heart the important objects which I 
 must always weigh against each other, and the vast differ- 
 ence of which I murst learn and lay to mind, if time is to be 
 abundant for me in blessings, or eternity fraught with nty 
 salvation. Do I think of the days that are past, I am amazed 
 at their fleetness and their brevity. Eighty years is a short 
 term for immortal spirits, which are capable of living longer, 
 and destined to a longer existence : a short term in compari- 
 son to the life of the patriarchs. And my life is not only 
 actually short, but what proves more melancholy is, that it is 
 rendered to me still shorter through rny own feelings. I 
 scarcely experience that I live; I do not enjoy my days; it 
 seems to me as if I had not lived them. But who can 
 measure eternity ? We may add together millions of years, 
 
WITH GOD 255 
 
 we may subtract them from eternity : it will still lie before 
 us undiminished. As little as I can determine the rapid 
 descent of light, the number of the stars, the multiplicity 
 of my thoughts, so little can I define what eternity is. I 
 mount continually higher up, and yet remain always at the 
 bottom ! 
 
 The contemplation of the duration of time as well as of 
 eternity conveys to me an admonitory lesson. My time is so 
 short, and yet I often complain that it is long. I grieve over 
 the scanty distribution of the days of man, and yet become 
 frequently a rash spendthrift with regard to this limited and 
 fugitive time, and seek to abridge it through useless and 
 trifling things. If I only made a strict and well-regulated 
 division of my business, I should find that I do not want time 
 itself, but the will to employ it carefully and considerately. 
 I should always find something to do which might bettei my 
 heart. I should find that though time may be short, it is long 
 enough for preparation for eternity. But if the continu- 
 ation of eternity is infinitely extended, so ought it also to 
 prove to me the strongest stimulus to direct my exertions to 
 immortality, and to dispose of my time consistently with its 
 value. 
 
 To thee, then, O my God, be the whole course of my life 
 devoted ; in thy fear will I pass it. I will not live to myself 
 but to thee: thou, who hast died for me, shalt likewise live 
 in me. Widely removed from me be every extravagant dis- 
 sipation of time, every abuse of this costly gift ; be it my 
 joy to spend my time in communion with thee, my God and 
 my Father, and to employ the hours of my solitude in the 
 improvement of my heart. 
 
 JUNE 22. 
 
 God's Power and Blessings everywhere conspicuous. 
 
 ON all sides, wherever I may be, the Godhead surrounds 
 me, with its power and its blessing ; on all sides I observe 
 the most conspicuous traces of the divine efficacy. The sun, 
 which is arrayed in overwhelming brightness, presents in a 
 
 
256 MORNING COMMUNINGS 
 
 most wonderful manner to my eyes the glory of him who 
 made it, the moon, though clad in fainter beams, has still 
 splendour enough to display to me the adorable Deity and 
 his extraordinary perfections. The stars, notwithstanding 
 that they are fixed at an incalculable distance, and diminished 
 almost into glittering points, come forward with their testi- 
 mony and unite in glorifying the Creator. The majesty of 
 the great God exhibits itself in the roaring winds and in 
 the raging storms. Every flower, as it flourishes gay in its 
 beauty, and breathes forth the sweetest perfume, invites me 
 to the love and admiration of its Author, since all that is or- 
 namental and noble in his works he has produced for man, 
 and likewise therefore for me. Each bird that sings, each 
 stream that murmurs, excites me to the praise of the framer 
 of all, or chides my ingratitude. But in me does God attain 
 his purposes ? Do I so walk, as if I saw him who is invi- 
 sible, since truly to walk with him is the highest dignity, and 
 to be in fellowship with him the only felicity ? 
 
 Alas ! I am forced to bewail and mourn over my heart, 
 when I feel my own insensibility, and consider the just accu- 
 sations which my conscience makes against me for being so 
 little heedful of the wonders of the Omnipotent, and of the 
 benefits of his divine goodness. Were I more attentive to 
 all the mercies which the Almighty bestows upon me, to the 
 blessings which he sheds upon me in overflowing munificence, 
 how could I murmur and complain of my fate, how could I 
 be despondent and downcast, how could I anxiously concern 
 myself about the morrow? Should I not then act better for 
 the quiet of my heart, fulfil better the duty which God's in- 
 finite affection prescribes to me ? Can he forsake or neglect 
 me, who has rescued me out of so many troubles, who has 
 refreshed my heart with his comfort on so many sorrowful 
 days, has rejoiced me with his love, has cheered me, and 
 raised me erect with his grace? Yes, I perceive, with con- 
 fusion and remorse, how vilely I offend against him, when I 
 remember not his benefits with thankful emotion, and praise 
 not his goodness : when my soul forgets the ample bene- 
 ficence which he has exercised towards me ; when my dis- 
 contented heart employs itself only in reckoning the cares to 
 which it has been subject, the pains which it has endured, 
 the losses which it has suffered. To-day I know and confess 
 
WITH GOD. 257 
 
 that even my afflictions and my cares belong to the favours 
 which God bestows upon me, to the blessings by which he 
 distinguishes me, and that even in the saddest periods of my 
 life his goodness has never ceased to proclaim itself in my 
 destiny. 
 
 O ! how should I not love such a God, not hearken to 
 him with delight ! Yes, I feel the power of thy love, and 
 the force of thy law, thou most kind and most adorable 
 Being! It shall be my pleasure to serve thee; and to love 
 thee above all shall be my happiness. Here is my heart, 
 here are my resolves, here is my gratitude, here is my love. 
 Let all be solemnly consecrated to thee. 
 
 JUNE 23. 
 
 Intercourse with God. 
 
 EVEN an intercourse with wise and pious men has a highly 
 beneficial influence on our life and on our virtue ; but the in- 
 tercourse with God bestows infinitely greater advantages 
 than can be expected from a connexion with men, however 
 greatly endowed with knowledge and holiness. Nothing can 
 so uphold me in sorrow, nothing so ardently inflame my zeal, 
 nothing make me stronger and more courageous, nothing 
 more successfully preserve me from sin, than frequent ana 
 confidential intercourse with God, and the lively remem 
 brance of his majesty and goodness. If I often seek his 
 countenance in retired devotion, I shall feel myself excited to 
 appear always more faithful and more upright before him 
 If I often consider the worth and the magnitude of his love ; 
 if I take to heart the sacred and unsearchable measures 
 which he has adopted through Jesus Christ, his Son, for my 
 redemption and for my sanctification ; if the number and the 
 importance of his benefits become the repeated theme of my 
 amazement, my gratitude towards him will burn with re- 
 doubled heat, my love will be augmented in fervency and 
 sincerity, and my desire to render myself worthy of tender- 
 ness, such as that which God entertains for me, will receive 
 unwonted energy and force. If I often lament to him my 
 
258 MORNING COMMUNINGS 
 
 frailties and my transgressions, and petition his support, his 
 Spirit will grant to me an impulse towards, and strength in 
 goodness. If I often contemplate him in his sanctity, I shall 
 myself guard against wronging him in my sins. My inter- 
 course with this all-hallowed Being will already cause me to 
 feel by anticipation a part of that blessedness which will be 
 afforded to me in eternity in the friendship and society of 
 God. 
 
 Would it not be a procedure void of all defence, were I to 
 sport with such felicity, or to be indifferent to so much kind- 
 ness ? No; I will not act thus madly. I will even this 
 morning begin to hold communion with God, and embrace 
 the determination to persevere in this jptercourse during the 
 residue of the hours of the day. The distractions and temp- 
 tations of this life enforce the absolute necessity of seeking 
 God in silent worship, and thus exalting the heart above all 
 terrestrial falsehood and showy deceit. Let it then be my 
 daily occupation to approach God in reverential prayer ; to 
 enter into suppliant fellowship with thee, thou holy and ador- 
 able Divinity, and full of confidence to cry to thee as to my 
 Father in heaven. Awaken me, O God, through thy bene* 
 factions, through thy revelation, and through thy Spirit, that 
 I may continue perpetually in converse with thee. Let me 
 ever experience joy and rapture, when I draw near to thee in 
 silent adoration. Teach me day by day to conduct mysell 
 earnestly according to thy pleasure, that thine, and thy Son's 
 approbation may light upon me for ever. Let me learn by 
 my own sensations how pleasant and blessed a thing it is to 
 be engaged with my God. Let me often abandon the earth 
 and converse with thee, in order that I may hereafter enjoy 
 eternal intercourse with thee in heaven. 
 
 JUNE 24. 
 
 Faith in Jesus the certain Source of Peace. 
 
 WHEN I regard my past life with attention, I find many 
 instances in which I wished for things which, if I had ob- 
 tained them, would have rendered me unhappy. On the 
 

 WITH GOD. 259 
 
 contrary, I observe a sufficient number of objects which con- 
 stituted the subject of my apprehension, and yet proved to 
 me a source of prosperity and felicity. The wise providence 
 of God directs all events in so wonderful a manner, and 
 often so contradictorily to all human expectation arid hope, 
 that it is impossible with my short-sighted notions to deter- 
 mine with certainty, what is really my profit or my disad- 
 vantage. Happiness is the aim of all my wishes ; but my 
 ignorance and my passions blind me so much, that without 
 the governance and the guidance of the omniscient God, it 
 would be impossible for me to attain the point at which I 
 aspire. I should be the most wretched among all the crea- 
 tures of the earth if I were abandoned to my own direction 
 and impulses. I should constantly fail in the acquirement 
 of the true good, and go headlong forward to meet the ruin 
 of my own conscience; and if I obtained all that I desire, then 
 should I, when too late, repent my ignorance and my folly. 
 
 Yet amid the secrets and all the incomprehensibleness of 
 the government of God, I have still a leading line according 
 to which I may walk and become happy. If I only strictly 
 adhere to the precepts of Christianity, if I be of one mind 
 with Jesus Christ, then will the lot, whatever it may be, 
 that falls to my share, always prove the most beneficial for 
 me. To this end, my soul, ever follow with the fullest sub- 
 mission the voice of the Divinity which speaks to thee, 
 and those principles of faith, love, and hope by which thy 
 Redeemer allowed himself to be conducted ; so thou wilt 
 never murmur at thy situation, or be discontented with the or- 
 dinances of God. In all that thou encounterest, inquire not, 
 whether it be conformable to thy wish or conducive to thy 
 prosperity; but whether it be salutary for thy heart, and 
 whether it be adapted to confirm thee in goodness, to remove 
 thee from wickedness, to render thy spirit fit for heaven ; 
 whether it be an appointment of God, or a melancholy con- 
 sequence of thy own folly and levity. Desire and expect 
 not a perfectly tranquil and happy existence. There is no 
 station in the world which has not its disquiet and it-* misery. 
 But a believing and upright mind, and a firm confidence in 
 God and Jesus, afford comfort under the pressure of the 
 worst calamities that can come upon thee, and will permit 
 even thyself to consider them as nothing else than a step to 
 
260 MORNING COMMUNINGS 
 
 thy eternal welfare. With this disposition of thought thou 
 wilt be satisfied in all circumstances and free from trouble, 
 and have no need to tremble before anything. 
 
 JUNE 25. 
 
 Reflections on Sleep. 
 
 SLEEP belongs to the unknown, unnoticed blessings of God. 
 I have already passed so many nights, and yet I have never 
 considered how wonderful and gracious the government of 
 God is in respect to sleep ! How indispensable is sleep to 
 the preservation of m\ life ! All the day through I am 
 straining my nerves and sinews : the incessent use of them 
 would soon exhaust the fluids of the nervous system, which 
 no medium of nourishment could again restore ; but a new 
 afflux of the humours is effected through sleep, in which I 
 gather strength and refreshment. In this state my situation 
 is most extraordinary. I live without being aware 'of it. 
 Pulsation, the flow of the blood, respiration, the separation 
 of the fluids, constantly proceed. But a stupefaction seizes 
 the senses ; the muscles by degrees move more and more 
 languidly, and my limbs at length lose all their activity. I 
 forget all things that are around me. I forget the near and 
 immediate world, and station myself in another. Thoughts, 
 fancies, and images arise in my mind which I combine at 
 random, and which represent themselves to me as if they 
 were real. Dreams disquiet and delight me, busy and de- 
 ceive me; and my soul rests riot even in sleep from action and 
 energy, 
 
 What wonders are here united ! How much is concen- 
 trated here by which the omniscient foresight of God is illus- 
 trated. But how many obscurities are there still at which 
 the human understanding must pause, and on which it can 
 only ponder in tacit amazement! How can I otherwise 
 than with the most reverential astonishment and the liveliest 
 thankfulness, look back upon the elapsed night ! O may 
 also I remember with the most ardent emotion the Lord who 
 closed my eyes, who preserved my blood in its course, who 
 
WITH GOD. 261 
 
 defended my life from every danger, and invigorated my 
 body by gentle repose ! And how were it possible with such 
 an assemblage of miracles and blessings not to admire the 
 first, and extol the latter ? 
 
 No, so destitute of feeling my heart must not certainly 
 be ! Behold, Almighty Benefactor, with a deeply affected 
 soul do I turn my thoughts to thee. I bless thy inexpres- 
 sible, goodness which has allowed me to find rest and secu- 
 rity under the covert of thy wings. I feel how much thy 
 benevolence has enlivened and fortified me through soft and 
 placid sleep, and I sanctify to thee this first sensation of re- 
 novated vigour and spirit. I sanctify to thee the first breath 
 of my lips. Yes, my whole life do I consecrate to thee and 
 to thy grace. In whose hands could it indeed better rest than 
 in thine, omnipotent, beneficent Father ? Thou knowest all 
 my necessities ; to thee the most hidden wishes of my heart 
 are disclosed ; to thee, therefore, and to thy favour, be all 
 my concerns likewise commended. 
 
 JUNE 26. 
 
 Transitoriness of all worldly Prosperity. 
 
 THE world subsists and will continue to subsist so long as it 
 shall please its Ruler to maintain it. The world still subsists, 
 but its pleasures pass away, and all its possessions are incon- 
 stant, all its inhabitants perishable. I also go forward to 
 meet death, and with death my eternal destiny, This is the 
 saving, blissful faith, for which I am indebted to my Re- 
 deemer ; to him who brought life and immortality into light 
 through his gospel. Strengthened and encouraged by this 
 belief, I contemplate tranquilly and fearlessly the transitori- 
 ness and the futility of all that is terrestrial, and the short- 
 ness and fleetness of my own earthly life ; for, if I have ob- 
 tained through Christ Jesus a heavenly calling, why should 
 I grieve that this imperfect existence disappears, and that the 
 goods and gratifications of this present state satisfy not my 
 longing after more complete happiness, and appease not my 
 thirst for knowledge ? Why should I even bewail that the 
 connexions in which I feel the most happy are torn asunder 
 
 
262 MORNING COMMUNINGS 
 
 by death? No, I have no cause to lament the time which 
 is vanished for ever, if I have employed it according to God's 
 will, in my preparation for eternity ; if I have truly and 
 zealously sown the seeds of good works, from which I shall 
 hereafter reap an endless harvest ; if I have guarded my 
 heart with all industry, and purified it with all carefulness. 
 Not with the bitter pang of repentance, but with the blest 
 conviction of guiltlessness, may I revert to the period swept 
 away in the flood of years, and triumph in it and boast of it: 
 the future I may also regard without dread, and when my 
 hour strikes, appear before the throne of God in confident 
 hope. 
 
 May I be always while I yet remain on earth in this 
 blessed condition of mind ! May no day pass over me 
 which I shall not have applied to the salvation of my soul ; 
 may my eyes and my thoughts be fixed on those higher do- 
 nations which my faith points out to me, and of the posses- 
 sion of which my Saviour assures me ; may my heart feel a 
 rapturous joy when the great day of my last farewell shall 
 arrive ! O Lord, how glad shall I then be at thy coming to 
 release me from the misery with which the world oppresses 
 me ! How will my heart pant with delight when I behold 
 a new heaven and a new earth ! How inexpressibly blessed 
 shall I feel when there shall be no death, no sorrow, no 
 groan, no anguish more ! A state of such bliss well de- 
 serves that I should Qualify myself for it by a godly imita- 
 tion of Jesus. 
 
 JUNE 27. 
 
 Value of Godliness. 
 
 I WILL not pusillanimously and timorously torment myself 
 with anxiety about my life ; for my heavenly Father knows 
 what I require, and he takes care in my behalf. But, then 
 only does he protect my heart from overmuch care for my 
 daily bread, when I cheerfully and faithfully practise the du- 
 ties of my profession, and shun no difficulty, no effort, no 
 hardship, or toil. He has kindly and wisely provided, that 
 
I 
 
 WITH GOD. 263 
 
 with true and constant industry the necessaries of life shall 
 never be wanting to me ; but I ought also contentedly and 
 humbly to receive from his hands the smaller gifts, and not 
 demand that he should heap upon me abundance. He, who 
 distributes his gifts with perfect discernment, knows how 
 much is profitable for me, and if he appoints to me only a 
 scanty portion of the goods of fortune, I will honour his wis- 
 dom and repine not. The greatest of all gain is to possess a 
 quiet and contented spirit. As often as I have felt unhappy, 
 arid complained of my lot, contentment did not fly from me 
 because I possessed so very little, but because I wished and 
 desired so much, because I was so extravagant to please. 
 Therefore will I endeavour ever more and more to moderate 
 my longings and my ambition, and often consider that a 
 cheerful and temperate heart alone, and not superfluity and 
 riches, is the foundation of a happy existence. If I possess 
 but a pure and untroubled conscience the love of my kin- 
 dred and the love of God, then do I require nothing more to 
 ensure my felicity. I look around among my brethren, and 
 find not, that those are really happy whom the world esteem 
 to be so ; rather do I see that their cares have no end, that 
 they little enjoy their prosperity, and are exposed to nume- 
 rous temptations, which subdue the greater part of them. 
 Ought not this to make me contented with my destiny, and 
 assuage all the boisterous wishes of my heart ? Yes, if I have 
 raiment and food, I will permit myself to be satisfied ; and 
 how great is the favour which God evinces to me, in defend- 
 ing rne from anxiety as to my support, and giving me my 
 daily bread ! how has his goodness manifested itself towards 
 me, by his guarding me from the enticements of avarice, 
 lasciviousness, and luxury ; and granting to me, through that 
 mediocrity of wealth which is my allotment, the strongest in- 
 stigation to useful and honourable activity ! O ! these di- 
 vine benefits are truly worthy of the sincerest thanks, for they 
 secure the peace of my bosom, and the quiet of my conscience, 
 if I am but contented with what I possess, and with what God 
 has apportioned to me. O ! then, my God, be this vow of 
 my heart offered up to thee, that I will accept from thee with 
 gratitude and satisfaction of mind, whatever thy wisdom shall 
 impart to me, however small it may be; and that when 
 anxieties oppress me, I will trust in thee and hope in thee as 
 
264 MORNING COMMUNINGS 
 
 long as I live. Assist me with thy grace, that I may fulfil 
 this protestation, and through thankful contentment become 
 always more worthy of thy blessings. 
 
 JUNE 28. 
 Life a Period of Probation. 
 
 THE days of my stay in this world are days of trial. I find 
 myself in situations and relations of life in which I receive in- 
 numerable evidences of the goodness of God. The Deity 
 bestows upon me so many benefits, both of soul and body, in 
 order to search me, and to learn how I am disposed. He, in- 
 deed, as the omniscient reader of the heart, needs no such 
 means. It is a method of proving me, which takes place both 
 on my own account, and for the sake of others, that the senti- 
 ments of my mind may be made manifest. He has thus long 
 nourished my life, to see if, perhaps, I would myself be won, 
 and begin of myself to rectify my heart. He opened to me 
 the vast spectacle of his wonders, that I might perceive his 
 benignity and glorify him. He has evinced to me so much 
 and such extraordinary mercy, that he might ever attract me 
 more to himself, Even the things which I designate evil 
 have this intention. All adverse events, which occur to me 
 externally, all allurements to sin are destined to me by the 
 Lord, that he may make experiment whether I shall endure 
 the former with composure and through my faith with- 
 stand the latter. 
 
 I need not be surprised that my life is such a period of 
 trial, in which curses and blessings, good and bad, are laid 
 before me. It is intended to make evident what sort of choice 
 I will adopt ; if I will select the good and renounce the bad. 
 The counsel of the Lord ordained that the only begotten Son 
 of God was constrained to pass his life *under hard trials. 
 And all these trials would only promote my well-being and 
 exalt my spirit, were I such in mind as Jesus was, and 
 loved my Father who is in heaven, as he did ; and if I cou- 
 rageously used the weapons, with which he fought against 
 temptation, I should not then range myself on the side of un- 
 
WITH COD. 265 
 
 righteousness, but avail myself of my trial to exhibit my 
 faith, my sentiments, and my champion-courage. What did 
 it harm Job, that his comforter said, " Curse God, arid die? " 
 He showed in his answer that he was very differently dis- 
 posed. His explanation was ; " Have we not received good 
 from God, and shall we not receive evil likewise?" 
 
 But are not these examples of steadfast and undaunted piety 
 placed before my eyes, that I may emulate them, and arrive 
 at the consciousness of my own power and worth ? Must I 
 not confess with shame, that even the same arms with which 
 they combated against the assaults of the enticements of the 
 world, and conquered them, are furnished to me ? So will 
 I, therefore, endeavour to follow their pattern, honour their 
 virtues, seek the intercourse of the pious, love their company, 
 imitate their example, and draw from the same source of 
 grace out of which they have procured the strength by the 
 means of which they attained to so high a degree of self- 
 denial and patience. Thus I shall become as firm in faith as 
 Abraham ; as magnanimous as Moses ; as godly as David ; 
 as zealous as Elias ; as perfect as Paul. 
 
 I supplicate thy support, O God, through which these thy 
 servants were found so faithful in their trials. Let me expe- 
 rience it, not in the view of indulging my indolence and my 
 effeminacy, but to bless and crown my efforts. I will enter 
 with the present day into the course of godliness, I will devote 
 the yet remaining days of my trial to eternity, I will fight 
 the good fight of faith, and lay hold of the everlasting life to 
 which I am called. 
 
 JUNE 29. 
 
 Faith and Hope in God. 
 
 A JOYFUL belief and a firm trust in God and Jesus are the 
 only way to a tranquil and happy life. Haste then and strive 
 my soul, that by true faith thou mayest become a participator 
 of that great felicity which is proffered to thee through thy 
 heavenly calling in Christ Jesus ! How well wilt thou then bear 
 the most toilsome existence, when thou art assured of God's 
 
266 MORNING COMMUNINGS 
 
 grace though Christ, and of thy eternal blessedness ! Then 
 will this life appear to thy eyes nothing more than a short 
 though fatiguing road, in which thou hurriest to the most feli 
 citous possible state. Nor is the expectation of the future 
 that which alone will soothe thee ; for even in regard to the 
 present, the sweetest promises are given to thee. It is true 
 God allures man to himself by no earthly pleasures ; but he 
 knows the weakness of the human heart, and the power of the 
 impulses of the feelings and of the senses. He knows what 
 deep wounds and troubles of this life can smite the mortal 
 breast. Therefore he has vouchsafed to us the assurance, 
 that in respect even to terrestrial things he will make provi- 
 sion for us, and riot allow us to be tried beyond our strength. 
 Will he not in this act faithfully and truly ? But what may 
 we not anticipate from a God who yielded up for us his only 
 begotten Son ? Will he not for his sake grant everything to 
 us ? He has redeemed us from everlasting perdition ; far 
 more then will he also know how to release us out of our 
 temporal afflictions. Since for our spiritual felicity he has 
 made such wonderful arrangements, he will likewise have the 
 means in his hands to extricate us from our bodily difficulties 
 and necessities. 
 
 Herein also will I give him honour, and steadfastly rely 
 upon his omnipotence, wisdom, and goodness. Should worldly 
 anxious cares disquiet my bosom, I will, in confidence in his 
 promises, pour them out before him in prayer. Such a faith 
 will not only strengthen me under all distresses, but I shall 
 besides discover in my own destiny the most glorious confir- 
 mation of this belief itself; and daily increase in the convic- 
 tion, that the Lord of the world alone merits my affiance, 
 my love, and my faith. 
 
 Now, O Lord God, remove for evermore mistrust and 
 disbelief out of my feeble heart. Let the numerous proofs 
 of thy mercy, with which all my years have been filled, be 
 made to wake in my soul an ever-increasing trust in thy 
 kindness. How many days already hast thou preserved me ! 
 on each of them thou openedst thy generous, bountiful hands, 
 and hast filled, satisfied, and strengthened me with pleasant 
 and good things. O ! why should I be still concerned about 
 the days to come? Time may take its flight, and all objects 
 on the earth may change ! It is sufficient that thou art eter- 
 
WITH GOD. u7 
 
 nal and unalterable. My weakness and my ignorance may 
 be immense ; still dost thou exceedingly above all that we 
 can ask or conceive, and knowest the best means of our hap- 
 piness ! This day may be as full of sorrow as my past life ! 
 it is enough to be convinced that thou hast ordained for each 
 day a joy and a blessing. My whole life may be embittered 
 with toil ! it is compensation in abundance, that I dare to 
 expect life where perpetual blessedness reigns. Thither let 
 me direct my gaze ; through this let me be invigorated ; and 
 there let me at length arrive, when my days in the present 
 world are at an end. 
 
 JUNE 30. 
 
 The Close of Life suggested by the Termination of the Month. 
 
 THIS month likewise is forever gone ! ana as it has vanished, 
 never to return, so will my whole life fade away, and, ere I 
 think of it, be no more. God grant only that I may be as 
 cheerful at the close of my life as I now am, while free from 
 any particular sorrow, I meet, with the present day, the con- 
 clusion of the month ! But can I, in regard to the days which 
 have so rapidly passed away, be so perfectly at ease ? Need 
 T make no reproaches to myself relative to my past existence ? 
 O ! if this were the case, how contented could I be to-day, 
 even though I knew that the termination of this month would 
 be the termination of my life ! The termination of my life ! 
 What a terrific expression would this be for me, if to-day it 
 should be realized ! My tranquillity is quite dispelled when 
 I think that death may be close beside me, that to-day it may 
 overtake me. For how extremely wretched should I be if 
 my life should this day end, and I were forced in another 
 world to deliver up an account of all the months of my life, 
 when the present reckoning already makes me so sad. 
 
 I must confess that my heart has no reason to be uncon- 
 cerned when it ruminates on the speedily-elapsed month. L 
 I compare thy benefits, my God, with my own unthankful- 
 ness, thy forbearance with my own obstinacy, thy goodness 
 with my own unworthiness, thy commandments with my 
 
 UFI7ERS1T7J 
 
 "*. *_. 
 
268 MORNING COMMUNINGS 
 
 own conduct ah! then shall I be forced indeed to feel ex- 
 ceeding anxiety about my eternal fate ; then truly must the 
 thought of my mortality become to me a frightful idea. And, 
 would that I might be deeply afflicted with my state ! This 
 were that godly grief of which no man has ever repented. 
 This grief would render me wiser and more careful in the use 
 of my time. O God, operate this sentiment within me ; and 
 when thou hast humbled me through the penitent recollection 
 of my offences, encourage me again through the comfort of 
 thy grace ! It is my earnest purpose to employ to my salva- 
 tion, and to dedicate to thy honour the yet remaining period 
 of my life. On the accomplishment of this resolution will 
 the tranquillity and happiness of my life depend. O Lord, 
 thou who hast given me the will, vouchsafe to me also the 
 execution ! 
 
 JULY 1. 
 
 The Preservation of Life ascribed to God. 
 
 THE preservation of my life is one of the greatest wonders, 
 and one which God every moment works in legard to me. 
 When I consider the fine organization of my body, and 
 think of the numberless dangers to which it is exposed ; or 
 when I reflect upon my own heedlessness arid carelessness in 
 guarding my existence, I cannot help being astonished that I 
 still live, and that I have not long since become a prey to 
 death. There must, there must be a God, who takes as 
 much concern for each individual man as for the continued 
 duration of all the circle of nature. If it were not so, the 
 cradle would have been my grave, childhood my destruc- 
 tion, sleep my death, and every day my perdition ; I still 
 live; I can still enjoy life; I am still capable of activity, and 
 am still in health. All these benefits convince me more 
 powerfully than the strongest arguments which reason can 
 adduce, that there is a God ; that this God is my Father, 
 my friend, and the maintainer of my life. 
 
 If 1 were not persuaded of this, fear must necessarily fall 
 upon me at each dawn of day, and at each approach of 
 
WITH GOD. 
 
 night, and overwhelm me with distress ; and every month 
 would open prospests to me that would strike my whole soul 
 with terror. Yonder, I should be obliged to say to myself, 
 yonder I see perils in which I shall certainly perish ; there 
 I behold an enemy who will accomplish his wicked designs 
 against me ; there I discover impious men who will plunge 
 me into the ruin they have prepared for me ; yonder I see 
 floods that will swallow me up, and flames that will consume 
 me; yonder I perceive a misfortune that will totally over- 
 throw me. With such despair in my thoughts should I look 
 forward to each day if I had not the firmest conviction that 
 the wise and gracious providence of God watches over my 
 life. 
 
 I praise thee from my whole heart, merciful and most 
 loving Father, that thou grantest to me so much consolation 
 and quiet of mind, through faith in thy providence: O 
 how greatly should I dishonour thy goodness, if w r ith such 
 undeniable proofs of thy protecting providence I should still 
 be void of belief! Far distant from me be such ungrateful 
 conduct. Continually will I represent to myself the demon- 
 strations and testimonies of thy goodness, and on every new 
 lapse of time excite myself by it to place my reliance on 
 thee. And this shall, even on the present morning, the com- 
 mencement of a new month and a new day, be my task of 
 comfort. In affiance on thy almighty goodness I again enter 
 upon life. However perishable, however weak it may be, I 
 depend on thy strength, through which thou wilt invigorate 
 and defend it. However little I can foresee the risks and cala- 
 mities in which I may perhaps be involved, I trust in thy 
 power and in thy wisdom, which can turn them all aside, 
 and to which they are all visible and disclosed. I know not 
 myself what I ought either to wish for or to dread. Do 
 thou benignantly fulfil all my desires, when they shall be 
 profitable for me, and release me from all evil that may ren- 
 der me unhappy. Let me pass the residue of my time in 
 this world under thy charge, under the grace of Jesus, and 
 under the government of the Holy Ghost, and enjoy the 
 felicity of being blessed and beloved by thee. 
 
270 MORNING COMMUNINGS 
 
 JULY 2. 
 
 Calamity and Woe inseparable from Mortality. 
 
 So long as I remain in this world, I must hold myself con- 
 tinually prepared for hours full of care and sorrow. To 
 desire pure unmixed satisfaction is to expect that which is 
 impossible, and conduces not to our peace ; for in the school 
 of affliction we learn that wisdom which qualifies us to be- 
 come denizens of heaven. Since my body, from its very con- 
 stitution, is so fragile and liable to decay ; since my intellec- 
 tual views are so scanty and confined, and my desires so in- 
 satiable ; since my fellow-mortals are so faithless, so uncha- 
 ritable, and so selfish ; and since all things by which I am 
 surrounded are so inconstant, and of such short duration ; 
 since I myself have but a very small period to pass on the 
 earth, how can I desire or hope that the days of my life 
 should not be mingled with unpleasantness ? And if this 
 were indeed practicable, how presumptuous, how forgetful 
 of God, how cruel, how barbarous, should I become ! How 
 little should I think of the Lord, of my own end, and of 
 eternity ! I have too often experienced in myself how much 
 a little continuance of prosperity puffs me up, arid renders 
 me insensible to all the feelings of religion and virtue ; what 
 than would become of my heart if this destructive felicity 
 were still more enchanting and more permanent ? 
 
 O God, how propitiously dost thou deal with me, when 
 thou sometimes humblest me through troubles. If hitherto 
 an uninterrupted enjoyment of the pleasures of this life had 
 kept me in a state of perpetual fascination, I should not 
 perhaps be now kneeling before thee and praying. I should 
 rather, instead of worshipping thee in holy converse, be 
 studying how to augment the indulgence of my sinful and 
 flagitious lusts. Praise be to thee then for the important 
 advantage which the condition in which thou hast placed me 
 bestows upon me ! Full of reverence and thankfulness, I 
 kiss that hand which has imposed upon me a little share of 
 distress. Yes, truly, my calamities are very trifling, very 
 insignificant, when I compare them with the afflictions which 
 so many of my brethren are compelled to endure. I need 
 
WITH GOD. 271 
 
 only regard the vast multitude of the maimed, the sick, 
 the frantic, the melancholy, the poor, and the persecuted that 
 surround me, and I must gratefully perceive how much I, 
 with my crosses, am to be envied. Whether sound limbs, or 
 flourishing health, or a right understanding, or a sufficiency 
 of fortune, or a contented heart, or a sincere friend, be the 
 gift that smiles upon me, any one of these blessings, if I 
 possess not them all, fully indemnifies me. 
 
 I will not murmur, far less will I despond, when it pleases 
 God to let me taste a few of those sorrows which he has 
 scattered over the earth. Who knows what I shall this day 
 have to undergo ? Be it as it may ; I will await it with re- 
 signation, and by patient resignation and hope encourage my 
 heart. This much, at least, I already know, that if God 
 destines to me any suffering, he has also appointed for me 
 comfort and solace under it. This much am I assured of, 
 that in such circumstances I may dare to anticipate from the 
 benevolent providence of my God every mark of his tender- 
 ness, and every alleviation, that are essential to my peace. 
 And should even my expectation partially disappoint me, I 
 am at least certain that death will one day remove all my 
 griefs, and render them sweet to me. Now, Lord, I com- 
 mence this new day with the firmest resolution to submit 
 myself amid all events to thy wise governance. Hast thou 
 doomed to me on this day cheerful hours, I will enjoy them 
 with thanks. Hast thou, on the contrary, selected sorrow- 
 ful ones for me, these also will I accept without repining, 
 and honour thee through patience, composure, and hope. 
 
 JULY 3. 
 
 Happiness of Celestial Spirits. 
 
 I WALK in the company of those glorified, happy spirits who 
 make it their benevolent office to love and to bless all those 
 who shall hereafter be their associates and brethren. Even 
 now, although unobserved, they surround me in this nascent 
 hour of day, and mark with rapture the devotion with which 
 I hallow anew to my Creator his reiterated gift of life. 
 
272 MORNING COMMUNINGS 
 
 They already prepare themselves at the command of God to 
 bear me in their arms, and carry me forward to that happi- 
 ness which the Lord, in compliance with my prayer, has 
 destined to me. Oh ! what honour, what felicity is it to ob- 
 tain the blessing and the applause of perfect spirits ! I am 
 at this moment, in which I elevate my heart with fervency 
 to heaven, a favourite of these beatified beings. And why 
 should not I exert myself to be constantly their favourite, 
 constantly their joy ? 
 
 I was formerly the object of their delight as I clung full 
 of hope around the neck of my maternal parent. O ! how 
 did they love and bless me, while I was yet a child of un- 
 corrupted disposition, and my heart a shrine of the Holy 
 Ghost ! How did they rejoice so oft as they beheld me with 
 infantine, pious simplicity, lifting up my hands on high to 
 the abode of the Almighty. O ! that I were thus still their 
 source of joy ! But, alasj I have often grieved them by my 
 conduct. The older I grew the more I became dissimilar to 
 them the less share did I retain of their esteem. How 
 troubled must these celestial inhabitants have been, when 
 they beheld my hard heart, which shrunk back within itself 
 from the wretched and the needy ! How concerned must 
 they have been for my soul, when they saw me hastening on 
 in the path of vice to my perdition ! What a subject of pity 
 must I have appeared to them, when I promised myself 
 happiness and satisfaction from the gratification of my sen- 
 sual inclinations ; when through my life I scandalized the 
 earth, occasioned sorrow to heaven, arid gladdened hell ! 
 
 Yet no more, my celestial, beatified friends, will I be the 
 cause of your compassion and your sorrow. I will seek to 
 render myself more worthy of your affection, by forming 
 myself according to your demeanour, and striving to become 
 as holy, as faithful to God, as rich in love as I discover you 
 to be. Henceforth I will be as zealous to please you through 
 my actions, as I have hitherto given you pain through my 
 sins. Nothing shall be so dear to me as your applause, 
 nothing so desirable as your blessing. My good deeds may 
 remain unknown to the world, and be even covered with 
 slander so that they be only known to heaven and praised by 
 the angels. I am now going into the society of men, but I 
 will never forget that I am placed in much more distin- 
 
WITH GOD. 273 
 
 guished company. The angels are around me; they are 
 perhaps much nearer to me than my ordinary partners in life. 
 At all events they love me better than any one of my most 
 valued friends ib capable of doing. O God, render me al- 
 ways more deserving of thy love and of the love of thy im- 
 mortal servants ! Implant in my mind those sublime senti- 
 ments through which the angels win thy approbation. Erect 
 me into a guardian angel to my brethren, and let me become 
 as abundant in charity, as kind, as beneficent, as are thy 
 white-robed ministers of light. And then vouchsafe to me, 
 O Lord of hosts, the protection of thy angels, in all my 
 ways. Grant, moreover, that when at last I shall approach 
 to the period which is to establish me a sharer of their feli- 
 city, they may take their post around my death-bed, and 
 that by them my soul may be wafted to Abraham's bosom. 
 Then will they never more bewail me, but triumph and exult 
 in me eternallv. 
 
 JULY 4. 
 
 Proofs of a Life to come. 
 
 DARK and inscrutable as futurity and a great part of my des- 
 tination are to me, this however I am aware of, that the 
 future is for me extremely important, and that my abiding- 
 place is not here. This earth cannot possibly be the spot 
 where my entire destiny is to unfold itself. Were it actually 
 the land of my appointment and my happiness, it would be 
 necessary that, with all its charms, it should not be so wretched 
 and so plenteous in tears ; that this body should not have to 
 struggle with so many changes and infirmities ; and that the 
 boundless longing of my soul after felicity should already here 
 be satisfied. But in the situation in which I stand, all is 
 enigma. The earth, my body, my soul, my entire fate, would 
 be an inexplicable mystery to me, if it were ordained that I 
 should find my destination in the present world. No ; the 
 plan of the providence of God must extend further than only 
 to this short toilsome existence. I must be intended for much 
 higher ends than merely to weep and then to be gay again, to 
 
 T 
 
274 MORNING COMMUNINGS 
 
 live and to die. And though there were nothing besides in 
 the world that could afford me a satisfactory solution on this 
 point, the death of my Saviour would do so. What ! the Son 
 of God shall have offered up his life, barely to render me for 
 a brief space of time the possessor of a few scanty temporal 
 enjoyments ? He shall have relinquished the heavens only 
 to make more agreeable to me a transient residence in the 
 world ? He shall have shed his blood to redeem me, and I 
 shall, notwithstanding, feel so little of his redeeming grace as 
 I actually do here ? and though I should feel it more perfectly, 
 I should lose the sweetest effects of this redemption in death ? 
 No ; I must, through the merits of my Jesus, be created for 
 infinitely higher felicity. There must be another world in 
 reserve for me, where I shall enjoy in its utmost plenitude the 
 happiness of being one of the ransomed of Jesus : my soul 
 must be immortal. 
 
 When I look at my terrestrial existence in this point of 
 view, I behold it under an entirely different aspect. Even the 
 most minute part of it now appears tome especially important 
 and decisive, because so nearly connected with my everlasting 
 doom. I must not compute my life according to the small 
 number of days which it embraces, but according to the ob- 
 jects which are to be attained by it. Ought I not assiduously to 
 scatter those seeds which will one day yield to me a crop of 
 incorruptible fruits? Ought I not cautiously to dispose of 
 that time which fixes my eternal destiny ? In pursuance of 
 this maxim, I will therefore, even to-day, through the grace 
 of God, endeavour wisely to employ my time. I will always 
 keep the lively remembrance of this truth in my soul, that I 
 am not destined for this world alone, but for heaven. The 
 more powerful this idea is in my mind, the more godly will 
 my 'behaviour be. Heavenly joys will alone ravish me; 
 heavenly possessions will alone awaken my desires ; I shall 
 love only heavenly society. And to this mode of thinking, 
 bring me, O God, I beseech thee, through the potent efficacy 
 of thy Spirit. How blessed will then this day be for me ! 
 What transports, what happy tranquillity of spirit, what feli- 
 city, shall I then feel both in life and in death, 
 
WITH GOD. 275 
 
 JULY 5. 
 
 The Necessity of remembering our Weakness and Imper- 
 fection. 
 
 I CANNOT often enough call my weakness to remembrance, 
 since my heart, amid all its imperfection, is so well pleased 
 with its own qualities and so self-conceited. How willingly 
 would this vain heart boast of its accomplishments arid its 
 superiority, and in these place its triumph and delight ! But 
 in this occupation I forget my defects and my frailties, which 
 are yet more visible and greater than all my advantages ! 
 And still how often have I been constrained to sigh over these 
 frailties, how often to be at variance with myself! I am now 
 just awoke from sleep. Was not the state in which I found 
 myself in my slumbers a state of feebleness and imperfection ? 
 Every day in which I live forms a large appendix to the tale 
 of human misery. From the moment in which I open my 
 eyes until the instant when I again close them for repose, every 
 thing about me is weakness, infirmity, and wretchedness. I 
 see how, with each returning morn, the tabernacle of my body 
 becomes more fragile, how my powers decrease, how my spirit 
 loses by degrees its elasticity, and how gradually I sink into 
 that decay which is the forerunner of dissolution. And how 
 painful do I in particular feel my incapacity when I consider 
 those things which regard my spiritual attainments. Often 
 has it been my wish to become a true Christian, and to be 
 united in faith with Christ. With this resolution I made my 
 morning return into the world ; but scarcely had I entered it 
 when I perceived how impotent I was to execute my purpose. 
 To combat against evil, to bridle my passions, to govern, my 
 sensuality these were often my firm determinations ; but the 
 first attack, one faint conflict, a slight trouble, immediately 
 exhausted my fortitude, and I became a captive, notwithstand- 
 ing all my eagerness for victory. 
 
 And what will this day be my fate? Shall I show my- 
 self to be stronger, more resolute, and bolder than I have 
 hitherto done? Alas ! I feel, O Lord, that if thy hand does 
 not support me, if thy power is not mighty in my inability, I 
 must inevitably fall. Strengthen me, therefore, thou Omni- 
 potent, in all the struggles which either my heavenly or my 
 
276 MORNING COMMUNINGS 
 
 earthly vocation demands. Strengthen me in the battle 
 against iniquity, and in my efforts to acquire purely Christian 
 sentiments and feelings. Strengthen me in my belief in thy 
 Son, my Redeemer : remind me of this when I would treat the 
 foibles of my brethren with harshness and insensibility. This 
 recollection will make me watchful and careful, and prompt 
 me to fix my reliance on thy almighty assistance. In this 
 manner I shall be able to overcome all my own deficiencies, 
 and finally to attain that aim which thy goodness has been 
 pleased to set up before me. 
 
 JULY 6. 
 Man's Unworthiness compared with God's Goodness. 
 
 I MUST obstinately shut my eyes, I must be ungrateful and 
 destitute of feeling, if T would not observe the bounteous 
 blessings of my God, not think of his love, and not be moved 
 by the spectacle of his works. No, I am not thus void of 
 every spark of human nature. I see the wonders of the om- 
 nipotence and the goodness of my Creator ; I regard them 
 with pleasure and astonishment ; and am now in a particular 
 degree affected, as I behold the blessings of God diffused in 
 such rich profusion over the fields. No ! benignant Author 
 of my life, I am not ungrateful, I am not void of feeling, while 
 I now contemplate the rising sun and its blessed effects. I 
 meditate upon thee, I admire thee, I worship thee. 
 
 But do I then think also of myself what am I, that 
 through thy gifts thou so greatly favourest and delightest me ? 
 Do I feel how unworthy I am of all these marks of thy kind- 
 ness ? How often do I prize myself, in my haughty concep- 
 tions, as a lord of the creation, and forget that to thy free grace 
 alone I owe all the abundance which thou showerest down 
 into my lap ! Do I then deserve that thou shouldst permit 
 the plains to afford me nourishment, the sun to enlighten and 
 warm me, all nature to transport me and bless me, and the 
 whole universe to conduce to my service and my pleasure ? 
 How desert would be the world,* how frightful nature, how 
 lamentable life itself, if thou shouldst dispense thy blessings 
 
WITH UOD. 277 
 
 only in proportion to my merits ! No sunbeam would enliven 
 me, no rain would refresh me, wert thou to distribute thy sun- 
 shine and thy rain by the scale of my virtue. But that thou, 
 notwithstanding my unworthiness, dost so exceedingly well by 
 me, is a consequence of thy grace ; and for this grace I am 
 indebted to my holy Redeemer. To him are my acknow- 
 ledgments due for his love and intercession, if thy blessings 
 still flow down upon me in gentle streams, and my prayer is 
 acceptable to thee. Even in the past night did he petition 
 for me, and this morning also does he supplicate thee in my 
 behalf. Were not this the case, I should not have beheld the 
 present dawn; but have been carried off in my sleep and in 
 my sins. And where should I now be? There, whither 
 death has this night borne off thousands of the rich, the vo- 
 luptuous, and the luxurious, who have entered into irreme- 
 diable perdition. The more I consider this, the more ardent 
 and the more sincere are my thanks. But I well perceive, 
 notwithstanding all my attempts, how languid and flat the 
 praise sounds which I ascribe to thee, and how little my gra- 
 titude is equivalent to thy benevolence. 
 
 Lord, inspire and rule thou my heart, that it may earnestly 
 and acceptably extol thee. Let not my lips alone, but my 
 whole soul, overflow with thy acclaim. It must appear con- 
 spicuous in all my actions, how much my heart wishes and 
 strives duly to pay thee honour. I will love thee and fear 
 thee ; I will do good to the unfortunate ; I will faithfully per- 
 form the duties of my profession ; I will constantly remain 
 true to godliness this, O God, shall be my homage, and the 
 chief business of the present day. With these sentiments I 
 may rejoice and comfort myself in the anticipation of thy fur- 
 ther love. Not this day only, but all my future days, will 
 be distinguished by thy mercies. And all the cares and 
 sorrows which have hitherto disquieted my life and seduced 
 my heart into murmuring discontent, I will henceforth deem 
 to be ordinances of thy wisdom, and as such humbly revere 
 them. And when I shall hereafter be transplanted into that 
 higher sanctuary where I shall for ever enjoy the fruits of my 
 gratitude and piety, how blessed will be my end ! 
 
278 MOIINLNG COMMUNINGS 
 
 JULY 7. 
 Fidelity to God and Man. 
 
 THE morning of every revolving day calls upon me to vow 
 new fidelity to the Lord, to whom I have been consecrated 
 through baptism. And to fulfil this vow ought to be the 
 main occupation of my life. What avail all my virtues 
 if I am not true and constant in the exercise of them? Fi- 
 delity ennobles all my good actions, and gives them their 
 intrinsic value in the eyes of God. Nothing more is desired 
 from a steward than that he may be found faithful. And 
 what am I else than a steward, to whom the most high 
 Sovereign has entrusted the management and care of goods 
 of the greatest possible importance ? My life, my talent?, 
 my powers, my knowledge, my intellect, constitute these 
 precious goods, of the faithful use of which I must one day 
 render up a minute account ; and to be faithful in the em- 
 ployment of them is my vocation, my duty, my glory, and 
 my salvation. 
 
 Through divine revelation, I have obtained a rich know- 
 ledge of God, and of the truths of religion. How much 
 faithfulness is required to bring this knowledge into practice, 
 and to direct all my doings according to it ! In so large a 
 circle of obligations as my common and my particular callings 
 impose upon me, what punctual faithfulness is necessary in or- 
 der to do justice to them all ! It is my calling, to show myself 
 to be an upright citizen of the world ; but yet more so, a 
 pious citizen of heaven. How faithful must I be to accom- 
 plish this part of my vocation, and not to neglect it ! And 
 when I reflect, that according to my fidelity will be framed 
 that sentence which the eternal Judge will hereafter pro- 
 nounce upon me, O ! how momentous appear to me every 
 word and every deed, how decisive every purpose and every 
 effort of my heart ! 
 
 But am I then also in such a spiritual condition, that I 
 have no unfaithfulness of which to accuse myself, and no- 
 thing to fear from the everlasting Judge ? Have I the hope 
 of obtaining that illustrious title of honour the designation 
 of a true servant of God, when he shall call me to my last 
 
1 
 
 WITH GOD. 279 
 
 account? Why am I so sad at this question? Why do I 
 so hesitate to reply to it with YES! Ah ! I must confess that 
 I have hitherto been a faithless and unconscientious steward 
 to the Lord ! Would that a sincere confession of my un- 
 faithfulness, and an earnest intention henceforth to employ 
 better the treasures committed to my keeping, might com- 
 pensate in some measure for my former culpability ! Heartily 
 do I repent before thee, thou Omniscient, of my past incon- 
 stancy and indolence ! With integrity of purpose do I re- 
 peat to thee my solemn promise to be more upright and 
 zealous in thy service for the remainder of my days. 
 
 O God ! I will begin this day to walk before thee in more 
 righteousness and truth. Neither the difficulty of my duties, 
 nor the toilsomeness of my life, nor the hatred and the persecu- 
 tion of the impious, nor the long duration of my struggle, nor 
 the weakness of my abilities, shall prevent me from crowning 
 this resolve with its accomplishment. All my endeavours 
 shall be bent to display in the present as in the future, in great 
 matters as in small, in agreeable as in disagreeable things, 
 steadfast and sincere fidelity. And thou, O Jesus, who in 
 thy life wast so constant and so faithful, come forward in this 
 exigency to the aid of my determinations. Let thy sufferings 
 impart to me strength, and thy glorification encouragement, 
 rightly to perform all that thou hast appointed to me, and to 
 continue faithful to thee even down to the grave. 
 
 JULY 8. 
 The Benefit of Faith and of Confidence in God. 
 
 DID I not know that God reigns, and that this God is my 
 Creator and my Father, I could not fail to commence each new 
 day of my life with sorrow and despair. I should see before 
 me sufferings which seemed to admit no comfort ; I should 
 discover frailties in which I could expect no aid ; I should be 
 forced to fear death without being able to anticipate a better 
 life beyond it. Were there not a God, and were noi this 
 God my reconciled Father, it would be a misfortune to bear 
 the shape of man, and to live would be to me a punishment. 
 
MORNING COMMUNINGS 
 
 But, praise and thanks be therefore to the Lord ! I know that 
 God exist?, I know in whom I believe, whom I venerate, and 
 in whom I ought to place my whole reliance. And that I 
 know my God and believe in him, this is my happiness in life 
 and in death ; it is even to-day my heart's consolation and 
 joy, the support of my courage, and the strength of my 
 hope. 
 
 Infinite, O God, is thy power to aid and to protect, to re- 
 ward and to avenge. How comfortable is this belief to me, 
 when I consider my own imbecility, the helplessness of all 
 my fellow- creatures, and the wickedness of the ungodly ! 
 What can indeed be wanting to me what can injure me, if 
 thou, the Almighty, blessest and protectest me? My exist- 
 ence may be interwoven with as many wonderful and in- 
 comprehensible events as its space is capable of containing : 
 I know that thou art holy, and that thou wilt, as the patron 
 and promoter of all that is good, bring every change and 
 revolution of things to a wise conclusion. Let then the 
 most melancholy experience of the falsehood and infidelity 
 of men still further continue to wound my heart : it is 
 enough that I know that thou art the true and unalterably 
 faithful God, whose promises stand rock-fast, and whose 
 word never deceives. Is the world deaf to me, does 
 even my best friend shut his heart against me? how do 
 I rejoice that thou vouchsafest, O God, to incline thine heart 
 to me, and that thou art full of mercy, favour, and love 
 towards me. Wherefore should I not place in thee my re- 
 liance ? Wherefore shouldst thou not be my comfort and my 
 joy ? Yes, Lord, it shall be my delight to believe in thee, my 
 endeavour shall it be to fear thee and love thee, and my great- 
 est happiriess to live to thee and die to thee. With these sen- 
 timents, thy exalted attributes, which would otherwise over- 
 whelm me with fearfulness and distress, will become the 
 source of my comfort and my contentment. Though the 
 whole world tremble at thy might, I shall rejoice in thy 
 strength. When the impious quake at the idea of thy omni- 
 presence and omniscience, I shall be glad that thou art near 
 me and knowest my cares. When thy truth appears terrible 
 to thy foes, it will cheer me under all thy mysterious dispen- 
 sations. 
 
 When the ungodly are compelled to despair at the recol- 
 
WITH GOD. 281 
 
 lection of thy righteousness, I shall dare to congratulate 
 myself on that same righteousness, which has become so 
 soothing to me through the redemption of Jesus. These 
 consolations will spread blessing and grace over my whole 
 life, and produce for me under all circumstances and vicissi- 
 tudes, tranquillity and hope. Lord, enliven through thy 
 Spirit this hope in my heart, and let me for ever have confi- 
 dence in thy goodness. Display it to me then also when I 
 shall depart from this life ; and transport me for the sake of 
 Jesus into that realm of felicity where I shall better know 
 thee, and then likewise love and praise thee more perfectly 
 and more worthily. 
 
 JULY 9. 
 
 The manifold Failings and Diseases of the Soul and Body. 
 
 WHEN I reflect that every folly, every error, and every sin 
 is a dangerous malady of the soul ; the world appears to me 
 like an immense hospital, in which innumerable patients lie 
 crowded together. As we can say to ourselves that we are 
 everywhere encompassed by death, so may we likewise assert, 
 that we are completely surrounded by the diseased, who 
 suffer either in soul or in body, or in both at once. This is 
 an important lesson for me who am actually in the company 
 of these unfortunate beings, and experience in myself that 
 which I remark with regret in so many thousands. I am 
 perhaps still sound in constitution, or, to speak more properly, 
 the disorder which already sprang up with me at my con- 
 ception still riots in concealment. But how soon may its 
 flame burst forth, since the materials are already provided ! 
 How soon may these limbs lose their motion, my blood its 
 circulation, and my whole body its vital energy ! And do I 
 not really feel all the indications of that great change which 
 my corporeal frame must one day undergo ? Where is that 
 energy, that fire, that blooming aspect and force of nerve, 
 which but a few years ago 1 possessed ? I feel every day 
 new and never-before-experienced sensations, which render it 
 only too certain to me that I am perishable, and with all my 
 
282 MORNING COMMUNINOS 
 
 consciousness of health, a sick man, who without knowing or 
 suspecting it, is advancing every day nearer to his final and 
 total decay. 
 
 And those very evidences, in which my body instructs me, 
 the state of my soul permits me also to discover. When I 
 am attentive to all the alterations which take place within me, 
 with what sorrow do I then perceive the almost careless 
 irailty and indisposition of my spirit. In all the faculties of 
 my soul there reigns a highly lamentable supineness, and un- 
 certainty and doubt predominate in my understanding. How 
 erroneous are my conceptions of that which is truly good or 
 hurtful ! And yet how just and correct might they be, if I 
 made use of the light which shines upon me ! How defi- 
 cient are my notions of God and his perfections ! How little 
 am I acquainted with myself or with the world which I in- 
 habit ! How corrupt are my apprehensions, how erroneous 
 my fancy, and how unsound my entire mode of thinking ! 
 How perverse are my inclinations, how little under control 
 are my propensities ! How sinful are my passions ! How 
 averse is my whole heart to virtue ! How unhealthy is my 
 whole soul ! And yet how healthful might it be, if I always 
 listened to the Divine voice wjhich speaks within me ! 
 
 O ! therefore is Solomon's holy prayer to-day mine: " Lord, 
 grant to me a wise heart!" Take away from me my nume- 
 rous foibles and defects ; remove away from me the folly arid 
 the perversity of my heart, and endue me with a new spirit. 
 Then if it please thee, let also the dwelling which thou hast 
 for a time appointed to my soul in this body, be supported 
 by thy mighty efficacy. Give me strength even in this 
 world to fulfil the views which thou hast destined for me. 
 Yet should it not be conformable to thy will and to my real 
 welfare, that thou shouldst hearken to this latter petition, 
 then preserve only my soul sound and unspotted, that it may 
 continue blameless before thee till the day of the coming of 
 Jesus Christ. Let therefore my greatest industry be directed 
 to the end, that through thy grace I may keep a good con- 
 science, and through faith in my Redeemer become worthy 
 to attain to that life in heaven, in which soul and body, in 
 the most beautiful and happiest harmony, will enjoy thee, O 
 thou living God 
 

 WITH GOD. 283 
 
 JULY 10. 
 
 The Christian s Boast. 
 
 I AM a Christian : this is the first thought which at the rise 
 of the present day shall possess my whole soul, shall gladden 
 it, exalt it, and strengthen it; for it comprehends in itself all 
 that in this world constitutes my happiness and in the next 
 my blessedness. I am a disciple of the tender Master who 
 invited to him the weary and the heavy-laden, and refreshed 
 them. O ! how must I bless that hour in which I was made 
 a participator in such precious welfare ! I entered into the 
 world as a man who had no claim on those possessions which 
 form the real felicity of the human race. Sin was my inhe- 
 ritance, the curse of sin rny reversion : and thou, most gra- 
 cious Jesus, thou didst withdraw this curse, and this iniquity 
 from me, and didst render me a holy and blessed child of 
 thy Father. I became a Christian, and through this desir- 
 able change, an heir of eternal life. What can now surpass 
 my happiness? What can debase my worth? 
 
 I am a Christian. The wise may vaunt of their wisdom, 
 the strong of their strength, the rich of their wealth. To be 
 a Christian exceeds all the glory of the earth. When the 
 wise fall into foolishness ; when the strong are taught to feel 
 their imbecility; when the rich sink into their primitive 
 necessity; the Christian remains changeless in his wisdom, 
 in his power, and in his riches. But if the happiness of a 
 Christian is so inestimably great, ah ! why do I not strive to 
 be really that which I am called? why do I not act ac- 
 cording to the persuasion which I entertain of the dignity of 
 my vocation? 
 
 My soul must, however, no longer mistake its own value ! 
 I will from this day forward behave more consistently with 
 my calling. In me the world shall perceive how nobly a 
 Christian thinks, and with what uprightness he regulates his 
 actions. The idea that I am a Christian shall be the guide 
 of my entire conduct, arid fill my heart with high inclina- 
 tions. When the world would seduce me with its charms 
 and its enticements, I will remember that these attractions 
 are too mean for a Christian who hastens to a better exist- 
 
284 MORNING COMMUNINGS 
 
 cnce. I am a Christian: will I say to those who would 
 allure me to become faithless to my Redeemer : how can I 
 forsake him who has purchased me so dearly, and whom I 
 am bound to follow by such solemn obligations? I am a 
 Christian : how can I be ashamed of Jesus arid his doctrine? 
 I am a Christian : how can I labour extravagantly for 
 earthly advantages, since Jesus has assured me of higher 
 and imperishable gifts? *I am a Christian: how can I 
 shun those afflictions which I am bound to endure by such 
 inviolable engagements of duty, and by such powerful en- 
 couragement? I am a Christian : how can I be terrified at 
 death, which will fully clear up my destiny, and make my 
 felicity complete. 
 
 Thus to act and thus to think, embrace the decisive points 
 of a Christian's life. But how much at difference with this 
 disposition of mind have I hitherto lived ? It is thy grace, 
 O Jesus, which must qualify me, so that in the future period 
 of my days I may act more righteously and more worthily. 
 
 JULY 11. 
 
 The Love and Charity of Jesus, 
 
 AMID the want of affection which the world exhibits, I find 
 consolation in the remembrance of the philanthropy of 
 Jesus, and in the hope that his great example will ever ex- 
 cite emulation, and constantly gain new votaries to brotherly 
 love. When I contemplate the life of my Saviour, I discern 
 in what the most noble-minded philanthropy consists. All 
 his doctrines, his entire conversation, all his intercourse, his 
 sufferings, his death, all, all was love. And even though I 
 had not those great proofs of his esteem for the human kind 
 which exhibit him sacrificing his life and his happiness to 
 the good of the world, yet still would his instructions be 
 sufficient to convince me of his magnanimous love. The 
 essential summary of his precepts is the most impressive re- 
 commendation of love. How gently does he speak to the 
 sinner ! How condescendingly does he discourse with the 
 wretched ! How affectionate are his exhortations ! How 
 strong and influential are his motives of comfort ! 
 
WITH GOD. 285 
 
 But much though his language and his doctrine may de- 
 light, yet his actions are still far more transporting. His 
 business in the world was benevolence. No place was so 
 distant that his love did not prompt him to journey thither. 
 No man was so low that he did not bemean himself towards 
 him. No wretch was so despicable that he did not move 
 him to pity. No hardship, no toil, no sufferings, were too 
 great for his charity to undertake when he could render men 
 happy. O ! with what humanity and loveliness must his 
 countenance have shone, when he took up the little ones in 
 his arms, and blessed them ! Who can describe that com- 
 passionate patience with which he bore the imperfections of 
 his friends ? Who can pourtray that sympathy of heart 
 with which he took an interest in the wants of his brethren ? 
 Who is not amazed at that mildness which, under the cruel- 
 lest persecution, he displayed towards his foes ? 
 
 But astonishment and admiration must not be the only 
 effects which so grand a pattern produces within me. I must 
 be of the same mind and temper as Jesus : he has be- 
 queathed to us an example, that we may imitate his excel- 
 lence. And how many occasions of performing this duty 
 may not my intercourse with men afford me ! I enter daily 
 into the society of those who have a right to claim from me 
 offices of love. I must then prove by my whole conduct, 
 that I am a disciple of that divine philanthropist whose name 
 I profess. In me men must behold how well adapted is the 
 religion of Jesus to form true friends to the human race. 
 But, O Jesus, do thou thyself inspire my heart with the pure 
 impulses of charity. Work in me a pitying sympathy in the 
 necessities of my brethren; an affectionate zeal to assist 
 them and adhere to them in their tribulation. Let me, 
 wherever opportunity offers itself, be ready to do good, and 
 even in spite of the unthankfulness of the world become not 
 weary of my sacred office. With such sentiments I shall 
 thus, likewise, secure pleasure to myself. I shall obtain the 
 exalted title of the benefactor of men ; but, what is of unut- 
 terably higher account, I shall be designated thy friend, and 
 rest secure of thy love. And if I have this assurance, then 
 will my felicity, both in this and in the other world, be great 
 beyond conception. 
 
286 MORNING COMMUNINGS 
 
 JULY 12. 
 
 All God's Dispensations are good. 
 
 " THE Lord has made all things well ! " With what emotion 
 have I frequently uttered this confession, when I was taught 
 by immediate experience, that God executes his counsels 
 gloriously ! That which all heaven repeats and the whole 
 world publishes, I must also acknowledge in regard to my 
 own life : "The Lord has made all things well !" But how 
 ashamed am I, when I compare this declaration with my 
 former complaints ! When the Lord humbled me, when he 
 saw that it would be profitable for me that he should lead 
 me in a wonderful way, and for a time withdraw from me 
 his countenance, how faint-minded and dispirited did I then 
 become ! how little could I convince myself that all that 
 God does is well done ! But now that the darkness of his 
 paths is dispelled, now that God has again restored to me a 
 clear and serene day, now I am constrained, with as much 
 confusion as conviction, to own that God has made all well ! 
 This experience which my past life has provided for me, 
 must render me wise for the future. A number of vicissi- 
 tudes will occur during my existence, under which doubt will 
 arise in my soul of the wise and gracious providence of God. 
 I may fall into situations and circumstances in which I shall 
 argue in my heart : " How ! can I also say of these events, 
 that God has made all well ?" But here is the occasion for 
 me to show my faith and my confidence. Here it becomes at 
 once my duty and my comfort to reflect on the former instances 
 of the guidance of God, and to consider their wisdom and 
 goodness. And if I only dwell for a little on this considera- 
 tion, so shall I be forced even in the most dubious emergen- 
 cies to exclaim : " God has made all well, yea, even with me !" 
 It is indispensably necessary to my own peace of mind, 
 that this dependence on the all-directing goodness of God 
 should live in me and reign in me. The more intimately I 
 arn persuaded that all the views of God are benevolent and 
 wise, the more tranquil will be my heart, the more contented 
 my whole life, and the more prosperous my days. Implant 
 to this end, thou perfectly good Being, a firm faith in my 
 
WITH GOD, 287 
 
 soul, and more and more eradicate that distrust which is so 
 natural to my corrupted heart. Give me enlightened eyes 
 to see the wonders of thy mercy, and replenish me with sen- 
 timents of gratitude, that I may extol thy goodness. No 
 day can leave me richer in hliss than that which I devote to 
 thy glorification and to the contemplation of thy infinite 
 knowledge. Yes, let it be my most favourite duty in all 
 things to ascribe to thee the honour, to praise thy famous 
 name on the earth, and to boast of thy marvels. But espe- 
 cially grant rne the grace to worship thee through my life, 
 and through my uprightness to make evident the love which 
 is due to thee, O Lord of my Salvation ! Full of joyful 
 confidence do I resign myself anew to thy gracious guidance. 
 Whatever be the destiny which thou decreest to me, it shall 
 be pleasant, if only thou withdrawest not from me thy bless- 
 ing and thy help, And I will further, through thy grace, 
 exercise myself in the hard duty, even then to hope in thee, 
 when thou hidest thy face, and to acknowledge the wisdom 
 of thy governance, even when it appears to me unjust or 
 destructive. Thy doings are far beyond all that we either 
 pray for, hope, or understand. 
 
 JULY 13. 
 
 Praise and Adoration of Jesus. 
 
 To know, O Jesus, how much thou hast loved us, and yet 
 not to praise thee, would be the most unjustifiable ingrati- 
 tude. What could I allege to excuse my insensibility ? 
 What regard could I expect if I should suppress within me 
 every feeling of thankfulness ? How must heaven detest 
 me ; heaven that is incessantly employed in glorifying the 
 Redeemer of the world ! All the seraphim unite in the ser- 
 vice and celebration of the exalted Jesus. And the earth, 
 Zhis so highly-favoured earth, dares to be mute ? Man re- 
 fuses to join in the thanksgiving songs of the angels ? No ; 
 the whole world must be filled with thy fame : all men, and 
 all the tribes of the earth must be made to confess that thou 
 art the Saviour and the Redeemer of the human race ? Yes, 
 
288 MORNING COMMUNINGS 
 
 a million offerings of praise rise this morning on high to 
 thee : innumerable voices with one accord ascribe to thee 
 thanks and honour : sighs, not to be expressed, ascend to 
 heaven. Thou universal Saviour of Man, contemn not the 
 grateful prayers of thy redeemed. Though they are ex- 
 ceedingly imperfect, still let them please thee. Attend not 
 to the mean words with which we seek to laud thee ; but 
 look into our hearts, those hearts which longingly wish to 
 worship thee with the paeans of the angels. All languages 
 are too poor to recount thy love ; all wisdom is too insuffi- 
 cient to comprehend the wonders of thy mercy ; all rapture 
 is too weak to convey an idea of the joy which thy atone- 
 ment has produced ; all eloquence is too feeble to describe 
 thy astonishing merit and thy unheard-of affection ; nay, 
 even the thanksgiving hymns of eternity exhaust not the 
 theme of the amazing tenderness which thou hast manifested 
 to the world. Now then listen, amid the incompetent ho- 
 mage which the heavens and the earth pay to thee, listen to 
 the faltering applause of one of thy ransomed followers ! 
 Thou, who dwellest amid the hosannas of the celestial spirits, 
 give heed to the voice of a being whom thou through thy 
 deserts has elevated to angelic happiness. I will praise thee 
 and magnify thy name, thou Saviour of all the inhabitants 
 of the lands of the earth ! As often as I turn my thoughts 
 back to the misery out of which thou hast snatched me ; as 
 often as I contemplate the blessed situation in which thou 
 hast placed me through thy love; as often as I anticipate the 
 immortality which thou hast obtained for me, will I present 
 to thee praise, thanks, and adoration. 
 
 O ! that I could here assemble all thy rational creatures 
 around me, and infuse into them that love, that veneration, 
 with which I, thou most Holy One, revere thy divine cha- 
 racter and thy great work. Be my behaviour the means 
 through which I may promote thy honour, thou friend of 
 the children of mortality ! O ! that it may be made visible 
 to me every day, how powerful thy grace, O Jesus, is to 
 subdue the corruption of my heart ! And to this thy al- 
 mighty grace I now solemnly yield myself up. O thou who 
 hast procured for me blessings on all the days of my life, 
 let me not pass this day unblessed. Thou knowest all my 
 necessities better than I can relate them to thee : thou under- 
 
WITH GOD. 289 
 
 standest all my wishes afar off. O do thou then satisfy my 
 bosom, and let me find in thee all that can screen my sins, 
 ensure my repose, and confirm my perpetual felicity. 
 
 JULY 14. 
 
 Acknowledgment of Divine Favours. 
 
 AMID the thanks which I feel myself indebted to the Su- 
 preme Being, am I mindful of the benefits which I experi- 
 enced at my birth and in my infancy? How many memo- 
 rials might I find to remind me of this duty ! Every morning, 
 on which I am gifted anew with life, might bring to my 
 recollection that hour when thou, my Creator, didst first 
 bestow on me my existence. Each weak, helpless child 
 might lead back my thoughts to my own early feebleness 
 and inability to assist myself. So many of the unfortunate 
 surrounding me, who are tempted to execrate the moment 
 when they beheld the light, or are at least compelled to 
 mourn over it, might place before my eyes the happiness of 
 my own lot. But do my pride and my inattention allow me 
 to think well of those favours, and return thanks for them to 
 God ? Alas ! I must confess, that I forget nothing sooner 
 than the tokens of God's kindness. I scarcely remember 
 yesterday's manifestations of grace. How then can I be 
 strong in the memory of those which occurred twenty or 
 more years ago ? And still it remains one of my most in- 
 cumbent obligations to revert to my days of childhood, and 
 there to search out the traces of God's providence. O ! 
 what an astonishing number of blessings shall I then perceive 
 have been conferred upon me ! 
 
 The period of my birth is itself worthy of consideration. 
 It arose from no blind chance that I was born exactly at that 
 time when my life was bestowed upon me, and at no other. 
 What a blessing is it for me that I was not born in an age 
 when idolatrous ignorance and superstition still reigned, but 
 in the happy era in which God has spread the universal 
 light of truth and knowledge over the earth ! The place 
 also of my birth claims my reflection and my thanks ; for 
 
 TT 
 
*290 MORNING COMMUNINGS 
 
 how deserving of pity should I have been, if the land of my 
 birth had been appointed among a savage, barbarous, or in- 
 fidel people ! But that God allowed me to be born on a 
 spot, where I can dwell among civilized men, and enjoy the 
 blessings of Christianity, how highly favoured ought I on 
 this account to deem myself! Yet further, if I bethink me of 
 the wonderful manner in which thou, O God, hast conducted 
 me, of the love with which thou didst inspire my parents and 
 friends to take an interest in me ; and if I call to recollection 
 the dangers out of which thy strong arm has rescued me ; 
 I must be struck with admiration at the magnitude of thy 
 goodness, and involuntarily break forth into thy praise. 
 
 With such extraordinary proofs of thy benevolent provi- 
 dence, how culpable should I be were I to put the slightest 
 distrust in thy governance ! No ; the blessings of my past 
 days shall serve as an incitement to prompt me also in the 
 future to rely upon thy almighty beneficence. When I am 
 buried in sorrow, and when cares oppress my heart, I will 
 think of the faithfulness with which thou didst guard my 
 feeble infancy, and remove from me so many disasters. 
 How is it possible that I should not confide in thee, thou 
 All-highest, and with joyous affiance place my hope in thee, 
 and commend to thee all my ways ? Didst thou so fondly 
 consult for my well-being, while I was yet so powerless and 
 frail ; so will I trust to thy benignity, that thou wilt still 
 deign to me thy protection. In this hope do I now com- 
 mence the new course of my existence. Refuse not to me 
 thy aid, and deprive me not of thy grace. 
 
 JULY 15. 
 
 Parallel between the Pains and Pleasures of Lije. 
 
 RECREATIONS in thousand-fold variety has the fartherly hand 
 of my God provided for me, through which the burdens of 
 my earthly pilgrimage are lightened ; and though I must in- 
 deed every day experience the evils of life, and though every 
 day brings its peculiar troubles, yet even in these the wisdom 
 of God is made visible. I recognise even in the cares of my 
 
WITH GOD. 291 
 
 existence the goodness of my kind Parent, whose will it is to 
 conduct me through suffering to eternal joys; I should 
 therefore be contented with my fate. But my dissatisfied 
 heart ever excites me studiously to compute the sum of my 
 uneasiness, and in this calculation I generally overlook the 
 balance of pleasantness. I complain of toilsome days, arid 
 mention not the sweets of the night. I am displeased with 
 the enfeeblement and fatigue of the body through labour, but 
 consider not the refreshment and the restoration which arise 
 from sleep. I grieve myself at the falsehood and unsociable- 
 ness of the world, and reflect not what a favour the Lord 
 has shown to me in granting to me true friends. This per- 
 versity of mind is common to the whole human race, but it 
 is also the source of that murmuring and fretfuiness which is 
 spread over the earth. 
 
 Cease, O man, to accuse the governance of God. Look 
 around thee, and see how the Deity has ordered all things 
 for thy tranquillity and for the alleviation of thy hardships ; 
 how he has permitted so many beauteous flowers to spring 
 up for thee among the thorns ! He has embodied innume- 
 rable qualities in the productions of his creation, which have 
 no other object than to afford solace to us, unworthy creatures. 
 He causes bread to grow out of the earth ; he hangs round 
 the vine with grapes, and the trees he loads with their fruits ; 
 he adorns the earth with verdure and flowers; he gives 
 command to his sun to warm us, and to the rains to descend 
 in reviving showers. All, all is formed to contribute its 
 share to our convenience, or our pleasure. 
 
 Heaven and earth, O God, subsist for my service with all 
 their hosts and glory. Wherever I turn my eyes the bless- 
 ings of the Divinity are there. Animal and vegetable, hill 
 and dale, forest and sea, are the obedient ministers of my 
 food and my joys. 
 
 This day also will these delights and these recreations be 
 my portion amid the wearisomeness of life ; this day also 
 shall I both see and taste how good the Lord is. O ! that I 
 were as attentive to his munificence as I am studious of the 
 augmentation of my own woe, by carefully remarking and 
 noting all the grievances and disquietudes of life. Lord, 
 grant me a composed, quiet, and thankful heart. My soul 
 must not be so sorely cast down as to forget the graciousness 
 
292 MORNING COMMUNINGS 
 
 of its God. In all the occurrences of my earthly destiny, let 
 me, O Lord, be strengthened by the remembrance of thy 
 wise benevolence, and even prize it as goodness, when it 
 pleases thee to bring me low through afflictions. It remains, 
 once for all, my appointment while I continue here, to 
 struggle with uneasiness and strife. But a time shall come, 
 when my fate will unfold itself, and through thy mercy I 
 shall arrive, thou Prince of Peace, at perfect happiness and 
 felicity, and no more feel the vicissitudes of gratification and 
 pain, but enjoy thy goodness in eternity. 
 
 JULY 16. 
 
 The Spirit and Grace of God implored against Sin. 
 
 How replete with consolation is the belief that the All-good 
 listens to the prayers of his children, and that each of their 
 cares is known to him. Let this become to me to-day a 
 sweet comfort for my troubled soul ; let it enliven my hope, 
 let it assuage my sorrow. Yes ; I proclaim with thankful 
 heart thy goodness, O my God, in granting to me this day 
 likewise the opportunity of addressing thee, and in imparting 
 to me the rapturous assurance, that by thee I shall be heard. 
 I praise thy grace that thou still sparest to me space for 
 repentance, and time for reflection ; arid still constantly pro- 
 motest my spiritual improvement. I should have deserved, 
 through my own conduct, that thou shouldst have sealed up 
 thy ear against my entreaties, and for ever denied me thy 
 favour ; I perceive and acknowledge, with deepest humility, 
 that I owe it to thy mercy alone, that I am what I am. To 
 the operation of thy Spirit must I ascribe it, that I now pros- 
 trate myself before thee in devotion. Thou hast brought my 
 soul to such a state that it has formed the resolution to abo- 
 minate sin arid devote itself wholly to thee. Praised be for 
 this thy pitying grace ! 
 
 For now first, since I have emoraced this intention and 
 begun to carry it into practice, now first can I enjoy life, can 
 I feel the beauties of thy world, and regard the future with the 
 cheerfulness of hope. That which hitherto imbittered every 
 
WITH GOD 293 
 
 pleasure, robbed me of the possession of every happiness, and 
 disturbed every hope, was my depressing conscience, and the 
 thought of my guiltiness. But will this agreeable sensation 
 of amendment never again leave me? Shall I indeed remain 
 unalterably true to my good purposes ? Or must I not dread 
 my own inconstancy ? Thou knowest best, thou Omniscient, 
 how perverse my heart is, and how w T eak are my worthiest 
 determinations ! I have, alas ! often already broken my 
 vows and abandoned the good way on which I had entered. 
 I have as often promised amendment and afterwards again 
 transgressed, as though I had sought nothing else through my 
 promises than repeated permission to offend. Ere, therefore, 
 I again consecrate myself to thee as thy exclusive possession 
 by another sacred protestation, I will prove my heart and 
 examine whether my present inclinations be indeed the effects 
 of firm conviction and sincerity of mind : I will flee to thee, 
 my God, and implore thee for the support of thy Spirit, that 
 I may be strong for goodness both in will and performance. 
 
 Replenish my heart with thy grace, and thy Spirit ; and 
 confirm me in faith. Let all good thoughts within me come 
 to maturity, and all pious purposes be fulfilled. Then may I 
 be assured that thou wilt attain in me thy affectionate views. 
 Thou wilt rule over me with blissful favour, and finally crown 
 all my meritorious designs with the most prosperous success. 
 O ! how shall I, when I shall hereafter become in heaven thy 
 own for ever, exult in the day in which I resigned myself up 
 to thee as thy property. 
 
 JULY 17. 
 
 The Duty of loving God. 
 
 IF this be love to God, that we keep his commandments, 
 and if these commandments be not hard to him who from his 
 heart loves God, O ! then how happy and how wise should 
 I be if the love of God filled my heart ! My eye would then 
 look up with the most believing confidence to the Lord. My 
 ear would be attentive to his voice. My soul would present 
 to him its daily prayers. All my powers would be employed 
 
294 MORNING COMMUNINGS 
 
 to perform God's will, and my soul would be penetrated with 
 the most earnest desire to become united with this Divine 
 Being. No sacrifice, however great it might be, would ap- 
 pear too large for me to offer with pleasure to my Creator. 
 My thoughts would constantly be busied with this delightful 
 object ; the remembrance of him would render solitude agree- 
 able to me, preserve me in the tumult of the world, augment 
 my happiness, and console me in misfortune. In life this love 
 would govern me ; in death it would cheer me ; and in eter- 
 nity it would render me blessed. 
 
 Adorable Being ! O ! wherefore do I not love thee thus 
 ardently, but rob myself of such blessings ? How pleasantly 
 would my days have flown if I had transferred to thee that 
 love which I have cast away on the worthless things of the 
 world ! How little did all these, and even the most amiable 
 of them, merit my esteem ! Had I but had a lively percep- 
 tion of those claims of love which are combined in thee, how 
 contemptible should I have esteemed all besides ! Thou, O 
 God, art the only being, either in heaven or on earth, which 
 is of infinite worth and of infinite superiority. Thou alone 
 possessest the means of rendering me eternally happy. Teach 
 me thyself to contemplate thy inexpressible perfections, thy 
 attributes, and thy grace, in Christ Jesus. Fill me with the 
 noble delight which arises from the consideration of thy great- 
 ness, and let it be my endeavour to love thee above every- 
 thing. 
 
 I incessantly wish that I might become happy. But how 
 can this be accomplished when there is no love for thee in my 
 heart ; when I do not find my gratification in obeying thy 
 laws ; when thy approbation is not dearer to me than every- 
 thing else, and the sole aim of my efforts ? And how can I 
 love my brethren if I do not love thee ? As thy creatures, as 
 thy children, they ought indeed to be dear to me and beloved: 
 I ought to love them because thou lovest them. So much 
 the more will I therefore, now muster all my powers, have 
 recourse to every measure, and employ all my time to become 
 more perfect in thy love. Thy love shall alike regulate both 
 my less important employments and my more momentous 
 concerns in this world. Maintain and establish my heart, O 
 God, in these sentiments, so long as I live, till I arrive in thy 
 presence, where I shall for ever rest in thy love. 
 
WITH GOD. 295 
 
 JULY 18. 
 The Beauties of early Morning. 
 
 O ! HOW many pass this morning in slumber and inactivity, 
 and feel not those exalted emotions which the spectacle of the 
 morning sun produces in the sensible bosom ! None of all 
 those wonders which each dawn presents to the admiration of 
 the observant mind can touch their hardened hearts, and 
 awake their souls from sleep. They live without being aware 
 of it : the sun enlightens them without their regarding either 
 his efficacy or his pomp ; all nature stands embellished before 
 them, without their remarking her marvellous beauty ; every 
 breathing thing is emulous to manifest its joy and its trans- 
 port; but they only, these insensible, ungrateful souls, they 
 only are unmoved and mute amid all the united invitations of 
 the whole creation to joy. O ! what rapturous scenes does 
 the curtain of nature now rise to unfold ! The sun exhila- 
 rates and beautifies everything with its rays. Millions of liv- 
 ing creatures awake and employ themselves in proclaiming, 
 in their artless songs, ecstasy and thanks. Every field and 
 meadow glisten with sparkling dewdrops. All the flowers 
 renew their verdure, raise themselves erect from the ground, 
 and disclose their loveliness and splendour. The trees, which 
 from yesterday's heat hung their heads bowed down to the 
 earth, rear again their foliage and majestic branches aloft. 
 What a spectacle of indescribable beauty is this to my eyes ! 
 
 Sleep on, ye insensible men ! I will rouse myself to the 
 praise of my Creator ! I will employ this moment, in which 
 all the works of nature glorify their Maker, to mingle, like- 
 wise, my worship and my devotion with their offerings. I 
 will here lie down with my face on the earth, and adore the 
 Lord, who gives to the whole world, and to me also, life 
 and welfare. Inexpressible eternal God ! What are these 
 beauties to the pre-excellence of thy Being ! What is the 
 sun to the brilliancy of that light in which thou dwell- 
 est ! What are all the charms of the domains of nature to 
 the pleasantness of thy love ! What am I ! what are 
 all creatures in comparison with thy immeasurable great- 
 ness ! Lord, I confess that I am nothing but a dream that 
 
 
296 MORNING COMMUNINGS 
 
 rapidly flits away. But thou remainest perpetually that 
 which thou wast when as yet there was no sun, no morning, 
 no summer ! And thou wilt even remain the same when no 
 sun shall illuminate, no summer shall ravish me. 
 
 Eternal, invariable Being ! to thee I betake myself for 
 refuge, since I see how vain and how inconstant is all around 
 me. All the beauties of this summer's day, which now so 
 enchant me, how soon, alas ! will they be vanished ! How 
 unfortunate should I be, if with the charms of nature my joys 
 also had an end ! Every gratification which I experience 
 carries me back to thee, the Giver of all joys ! Let every 
 blade of corn, every bird, and every particle of sand, teach me 
 to find thee and to feel thy friendship. That I may rejoice for 
 ever, thou, O God, shalt be my joy and my delight. Then 
 all things may change and become steril and dreary ! I will 
 still rejoice in the Lord, and be glad in God my Saviour. 
 
 JULY 19. 
 
 Care for the Life to come. 
 
 IF I have nothing more to hope for than this life; if for me 
 everything terminates with my life, then will I enjoy this 
 brief period, and by indulging in every possible gratification, 
 render it as agreeable as I can ; for to-morrow, perhaps, I 
 may be dead. But, if a second life follows this if I possess 
 not merely a mortal body, but also an immortal soul it 
 this soul is to become eternally happy through faith and 
 godliness, then there lies upon me, besides the care of this 
 life, another and more weighty concern, namely, solicitude 
 about that better existence which, through Christ, I expect 
 beyond the grave. Is it wisely done of me to set my worldly 
 affairs in order, because I may suddenly be carried off by 
 death ? then ought I to be equally wise for eternity. I will, 
 therefore, to-day, begin to think with earnestness on my sal- 
 vation, and seize each opportunity of becoming more closely 
 and more intimately acquainted with God and Jesus. To- 
 day will I take to heart the importance of God's grace and 
 his glorious promises. To-day will I employ my precious 
 
WITH GOD. 297 
 
 time and its opportunities in doing his will. To-day will I 
 examine my heart whether it be so disposed that I dare hope 
 always to live with the holy God and with Christ. To-day 
 will I watch over myself, that I may commit nothing through 
 which I may forfeit my eternal blessedness. For to-morrow, 
 perhaps, the day of my death and of judgment will come ra- 
 pidly over me; to-morrow, I must, perhaps, appear before 
 my Judge, and be terrified at his countenance. 
 
 God has surrounded me with images of mortality, in order 
 that I may never forget that I am doomed to die. But still 
 how little am I heedful of the uncertainty and the swiftness 
 of my life; how readily do I abandon myself to my careless- 
 ness, which may yet perhaps destroy my everlasting salvation. 
 The sensation of health, and the view of so many of the aged, 
 and of those whose days are verging to the widest span, that 
 still flourish in vigour and life, encourage me in the hope that 
 for me too God has appointed a late termination of my mortal 
 career. But though I had the certainty that my life would 
 still continue for seventy or ninety years, how little would 
 this justify me in my negligence ! For, ah ! how speedily 
 do months and years elapse ! and how wisely must he lay 
 out his time who would depart with joy into the life of retri- 
 bution ! This will I earnestly consider both to-day, and 
 on every future day which God sends to me : my walk shall 
 henceforth be in heaven, that death may not be to me a mes- 
 senger of terror but of peace, and that the hope of a blessed 
 immortality may cheer my last hours, and sweeten my sepa- 
 ration from the earth. 
 
 JULY 20. 
 
 False Estimate of the Means of Happiness. 
 
 IMPOTENT man that I am, daily do I experience that all my 
 endeavours to avert dangers or to make myself happy are 
 fruitless, if God himself does not accomplish both ! No day 
 elapses in which I receive not proofs of this. How anxious 
 am" I often to turn aside from me all the misfortunes which 
 may, perhaps, overtake me : how do I rejoice that they are 
 
298 MORNING COMMUNINGS 
 
 still far from me, when already they stand at my gate ! How 
 often do I fancy that I am secure from all oppressions, that I 
 am protected against all attacks, that I am armed against all 
 changes of fortune, arid, lo ! I become ultimately a prey to 
 misery ! So little, with all my care and my efforts, have I it 
 in my power to secure myself from wretchedness arid adver- 
 sity, when I am abandoned to my own charge. But yet less 
 is it in my power to render myself prosperous, and to make 
 my well-being lasting. There are innumerable obstacles 
 which add difficulty to the attempt, and even make it imprac- 
 ticable, and a thousand accidents which may frustrate all my 
 toil. 
 
 The truth of this reflection I every day experience ; and 
 yet how willingly do I listen to the flattering idea that merely 
 through my own industry and skill I may arrive at life's 
 highest felicity ! Sometimes it is my wisdom, through which 
 I hope to search into the ways of Providence, to penetrate the 
 future, and to discover the means and the summit of happiness. 
 Sometimes it is my power, my influence, my riches, through 
 which I purpose to make my temporal success permanent. 
 Sometimes it is cunningly contrived plans, which shall gain 
 for me a future prosperity. Sometimes it is my friends, 
 through whose assistance I expect happiness and advance- 
 ment. And, at last, when I have exerted all, suffered all, 
 devised all, that I deem needful for my welfare, I find, to my 
 sorrow, that my wisdom, my power, my own efforts, and the 
 endeavours of my friends, are alike vain and profitless. And 
 what do I then do? I complain of the hardness of my 
 fate, though I ought far rather to accuse my own folly and 
 unbelief. 
 
 O ! wherefore should I longer occasion to myself so much 
 uneasiness and concern ? No ; it must become my resolution 
 with the beginning of a new day, excluding all other concerns, 
 to rest my confidence in God, and from him to expect all 
 happiness and all protection. This hope will never disap- 
 point me. With God I shall, under all circumstances and 
 under all changes, find that happiness, which I have in vain 
 sought in myself and in the whole world. Now, then, will I, 
 in firm faith, be resigned to thee, the all-wise and bountiful 
 Creator. The more I perceive, from day to day, my own 
 weakness, the more confidently will I rely on thy omnipo- 
 
WITH GOD. 
 
 tence. The more proofs I obtain of the unfriendliness of the 
 world, the more replete with comfort shall thy kindness be to 
 me. The more bounded my knowledge is, and the more fee- 
 ble my understanding, the more will I depend on thy infinite 1 
 intelligence. What contentment, what tranquillity will then 
 be mine, amid all the vicissitudes of fortune ; and how cheer- 
 ful, how comforted in hope shall I then become ! What 
 consolation shall I thus feel in prosperity, and what sup- 
 port in adversity ! Affected and transported, I shall thank 
 thy name, and proclaim thy beneficence, O Lord, who art my 
 confidence. 
 
 JULY 21. 
 
 The true Importance of Life. 
 
 THUS long have I already lived : thus, many a morning, have 
 I received the gift of renovated life ; but how rarely have I 
 reflected maturely on the exceeding value of my existence. 
 The consciousness of my own weakness and infirmities, and 
 the frequent view of my brethren bending beneath the oppres- 
 sion of sickness, teach me, indeed, the precious value of life. 
 Through the carefulness with which I seek to keep disease 
 and death at a distance from me, I also render visible my 
 deeply-implanted love of vital enjoyment. But then I never 
 regard my life in a right view ; I only consider it in connexion 
 with this world, of which I am to be merely a passing guest, 
 and not in the important reference which it has to eternity. 
 And yet this is the side on which life first appears of real mo- 
 ment. Do I contemplate life thus, then every year, every day, 
 every hour, which I spend in the world, constitutes a serious 
 portion of my appointed time. * 
 
 Be this meditation, therefore, my employment on the pre- 
 sent morning. Many now again awake, who may never once 
 have bethought themselves that they live ; I, however, will 
 thankfully feel what a happiness has occurred to me, that God 
 has prolonged my life. Many of my fellow-creatures will 
 dedicate their morning thoughts only to the scheming of idle 
 plans for their temporal futurity ; I, however, will prosecute 
 
300 MORNING COMMUNINGS 
 
 that train of ideas which extends beyond this brief term of 
 terrestrial residence, and secures to me the happiness of 
 eternity. 
 
 Never can I, with sufficient earnestness, recollect that I 
 am destined for eternity, and that here already this earthly 
 existence forms, in some measure, a part of that eternity 
 which sl\all commence on yon further shore of the grave. 
 And to this change shall the tendency of all my wishes, all 
 my thoughts, all my actions, all my designs, and all my 
 hopes be directed. It shall prove the criterion by which I 
 judge of everything, that I either desire or avoid. And as 
 eternity is now my earliest consideration, so shall it, during 
 this whole day, be my predominant and favourite reflection. 
 
 In order to elevate myself to this happy condition of mind, 
 I will institute a rational estimate of those objects which will 
 this day present themselves to me. Yonder are riches which 
 allure my affection to themselves : but do I then live to be- 
 come rich ? Here are joys of the senses, after which my 
 heart longs : but is it only to riot in these that I exist ? 
 Yonder are renown, honour, and rank : but can it be the 
 scope of my life to strive after possessions which disturb the 
 peace of the bosom and excite the fury of the passions ? 
 Here are gratifications without number: but am I born only 
 to indulge myself in pleasure ? or can I, amid these delights, 
 attain my destination ? O God, I supplicate thee, make 
 me wise for eternity, and grant that this wisdom may sanc- 
 tify and regulate all my doings. Thus shall I be able, at 
 every fleeting moment of my life, and at the close of each 
 rapidly hastening day, to exclaim : " Praise be to God ! 
 another step to eternity is completed ; I am so much nearer 
 to the end of my life, and the beginning of mv perpetual 
 felicity." 
 
 JULY 22. 
 
 Reflections on the Briefness, Vanity, and Toilsomeness 
 of temporal Existence. 
 
 As often as with every new day I enter anew into the world, 
 I obtain fresh experience of the vanity, the shortness, and 
 
WITH GOD. 301 
 
 the toilsomeness of life. Would that this experience might 
 be rightly efficacious, and render me wiser ! It would be 
 strange inconsiderateness, if on every repeated entrance into 
 the world I should represent life to myself different from 
 what it really is ; if I should dream of a happiness and of 
 enjoyments in my present existence, which are not to be 
 found in it. But wisely should I behave, if every morning 
 I pictured to myself the futility, the briefness of life, and its 
 numerous pains, if I promised myself nothing more from it 
 than I may actually venture to expect. In this manner I 
 should arrive at such a state of mind, that I should neither 
 be frightened nor fall into amazement at the spectacle of the 
 afflictions of the flesh, whether in myself or in others I wit- 
 nessed the misery of human existence. This would also be 
 the means through which I should be able to attain modera- 
 tion in the hours of prosperity, and patience in those of ad- 
 versity. 
 
 Well, then, I will begin the new day with these considera- 
 tions. I will represent to myself the shortness of my life. 
 But I will not do this in order to distress myself with the 
 image of death ; I will do so to excite myself to make the 
 most prudent use of this fugacious period, and to release my- 
 self from rny ruinous attachment to the possessions and 
 pleasures of the earth. Is it uncertain whether I shall out- 
 live the next hour ? O ! how can I then waste the present 
 one in indolent slothfulness or in wanton enjoyments ? Is a 
 lost hour an irrecoverable damage ? I will then profit by 
 every instant, and with prudent haste endeavour to perform 
 the utmost possible good. I will represent to myself the 
 grievousness of my life in its full extent. Alas ! I shall 
 even this day experience how perishable and necessitous of 
 help my body is, and how much vain toil the support of ex- 
 istence costs me ; how much sweat and how many tears 
 the wretchedness of this life extorts from me. I shall ex- 
 perience how nugatory all carnal possessions are ; with what 
 difficulty they are obtained, and when acquired how hard 
 they are to preserve. I shall experience how corrupt my 
 heart is, how sinful all my inclinations, and how feeble my 
 powers. And all the rest of my experiences will only con- 
 firm the saying of the ancient patriarch : " Few and evil are 
 the days of my life !" 
 
302 MORNING COMMUNINGS 
 
 O God, illuminate my understanding through this know- 
 ledge. Let it serve to render me ever more strictly united 
 to thee, the eternal God ! With so many means of instruc- 
 tion, I must no longer remain like an inconsiderate child, 
 who is always learning, but never brings into practice that 
 which he has learnt. Let me live like a sage, like a Chris- 
 tian, arid employ every proffered occasion to become more 
 perfect in wisdom and in the exercise of Christianity. Grant 
 that the vanity of the world, the burdensomeness of life, and 
 the scantiness of my days, may become for me a school of 
 heavenly knowledge, and an incentive to use the world tem- 
 perately, to love my life wisely, and to value nothing so 
 highly as the eternity to which I am destined. 
 
 JULY 23. 
 
 Moderation to be observed in our Petitions to Heaven. 
 
 THERE were once, as the fable relates, two shepherds, who, 
 after a long period of dry weather, prayed most suppliantly 
 to heaven for water for themselves and their flocks. Their 
 entreaties were at length heard. A deity descended in hu- 
 man form, at whose presence they were seized with fear and 
 terror. But a soft and pleasant voice soon tranquillized them 
 again. " Fly not," said the deity ; " I come to bring you gifts 
 which your own folly alone can render pernicious. Ye beg 
 for water; I will grant it to you. But tell me first how 
 much you desire : demand not rashly ; and remember that 
 too much may be as injurious as too little." The elder of the 
 two shepherds approached with the deepest reverence to the 
 deity, and said : " Kind and benignant being, pardon thy 
 servant; I only petition thee for a moderate brook." "Be thy 
 wish accomplished/' replied the celestial; and immediately a 
 spring gushed forth at the feet of the shepherd, and watered 
 his fields. The other shepherd was neither so modest nor so 
 easily satisfied. " I desire," he cried, " that thou pour the 
 neighbouring river, with all its streams, through my plains." 
 This request was also complied with. Its embankments in- 
 stantly gave way, and the river spread itself abroad. But 
 
WITH GOD. 303 
 
 the plantations were destroyed, the waves swept off the herds 
 in their torrent, and the shepherd himself found at last his 
 grave in the flood. 
 
 Do men in their prayers to God proceed more wisely than 
 this senseless shepherd ? How many pray for their own 
 ruin, when they think that they have prayed for the greatest 
 happiness of life. How many, for superfluity and opulence, 
 or for honour, or carnal joys, and perceive not that they wish 
 for things, the possession of which would render them un- 
 happy were God to gratify their desire. How many thou- 
 sands will probably this morning make such objects the sub- 
 ject of their petitions; and how wretched would they become, 
 should God be pleased to hearken to them. 
 
 And what should I do, if God were so graciously to con- 
 descend to me, and leave to my own choice the favours which 
 I might supplicate from him ? Alas ! I fear that I should 
 select as inconsiderately and as foolishly. For how little do 
 I vet know what is for my real advantage, or the proper 
 value of things ! How easily am I blinded by glittering ex- 
 terior and false appearance ; and how little do I perceive 
 what may be profitable for me in an hour hence ! O Lord, 
 all- wise, benevolent Creator, teach me the wisdom to choose 
 those things, the enjoyment of which I shall not have need 
 to repent. And should I, through the lure of sensual things, 
 be so dazzled as to supplicate from thee those blessings that 
 might hereafter be prejudicial to me, then do not thou fulfil 
 my prayer. Abandon me not to my own foolishness nor to 
 the extravagant inclinations of my own will. What thy 
 wisdom knows to be salutary for me, that vouchsafe to me ; 
 be it wealth or poverty, honour or disgrace, life or death. 
 Grant rne only, under all circumstances, an enlightened, sa- 
 tisfied heart, and so will everything, that thou dispensest to 
 me, conduce to my peace. And for this grace I pray thee, 
 in behalf of this day, and of every future day which thou 
 hast determined to accord to me. 
 
304 MORNING COMMUNINQS 
 
 JULY 24. 
 
 God proclaimed both through the Natural and the Spiritual 
 World. 
 
 WHEN I reflect upon the greatness and the majesty of my 
 God, how do I then feel myself transported into admiration, 
 adoration, and joy ; how then does the thought elevate and 
 recreate my soul, that I belong to this exalted Being, that 
 he looks upon me with a Father's love, directs my destiny 
 with wisdom, guards me with his omnipotence, and deigns 
 to bestow on me his good and gracious care ! And how 
 expressively does all that I see around me, and that I my- 
 self am, claim from me this reverential and grateful admira- 
 tion of my God and Father ! This rich and glorious aspect 
 of nature that proffers to me her abundant gifts ; this fair 
 ball of earth that bears me ; that glorious sun that gives me 
 heat, and vivifies all that exists; these immeasurable heavens 
 with their countless stars; this order and beauty which 
 everywhere reign and predominate ; all these combine- to 
 awaken the emotions of my heart. Wherever I cast my 
 eyes, there I find God. The heavens recount to me the 
 greatness of my Maker, and each of his creatures, even the 
 smallest insect, teaches me how mighty and good the Lord is 
 who formed it. In the minutest objects of nature, as in the 
 most sublime appearances, my spirit discovers the magni- 
 tude of the Divinity, and all the productions of the earth 
 appear to me as steps by which I elevate myself to the 
 adorable God. And should this world which is almost 
 impossible seem not sufficiently worthy of my admiration, 
 yet will another world of wonders perpetually deserve my 
 meditation and my thanks the heavenly world which Jesus 
 Christ, the eternal Son of the Father, hast opened to me. 
 He is the image of the invisible God, the first-born of all 
 creatures, the refulgence of the glory of the Father, and the 
 essential semblance of his Being. What lofty and sacred 
 emotions of an enrapturing love and admiration unite toge- 
 ther here, when I contemplate my God in his works of na- 
 ture, in his providence, and in the countenance of his Son, 
 the ever-to-be-worshipped Jesus ' To these sanctified occu- 
 
WITH GOD. 305 
 
 pations now solemnly dedicate thyself, my soul, with pious 
 love and upright zeal. How couldst thou now remain dis- 
 passionate and cold, when all nature invites thee, when the 
 harvest-field with its blessings silently exhorts thee, to see 
 and taste the friendship of God ! No ; every glance of 
 heaven, and every contemplation of nature, must fill thee 
 with veneration, love, and gratitude ; must infuse into thee 
 that sacred devotion which raises thee to blessed communion 
 with the Lord. Mount by the ladder of the creatures to 
 the Creator, who fills them all with plenty, and gives exist- 
 ence to every being. Let it prove thy most agreeable em- 
 ploy nlent to search out the marks of goodness and power in 
 thyself, and in the productions of his word, and over all wilt 
 thou discover the Divinity; and when thou hast thus found 
 God, thou wilt enjoy unutterable felicities, which shall make 
 thy Hfe pleasing, thy death gentle, and thy hope complete. 
 
 JULY 25. 
 
 Dignity and Value of the Christian Calling. 
 
 As often as I behold a fresh day of my life, and feel new 
 vigour for the performance of good works, I receive at the 
 same time a new obligation to dedicate my life to the Lord, 
 and above all things to strive after his grace. As often as I 
 approach to my Creator in prayer, and address him as my 
 Father, I remember the value which is imparted to me as a 
 disciple of Jesus Christ. O ! that I might truly fulfil this 
 calling, support this worthiness ! A servant who has con- 
 stantly present to himself the greatness of the master whom 
 he serves, the importance of his office, the extent of his du- 
 ties, and the reputation of heroic courage, will never occupy 
 himself with things which may prove detrimental to his 
 views. And if I earnestly consider how high in dignity is 
 the Lord, whose name I bear, how infinitely momentous is 
 my appointment, and how dear are the obligations of my 
 Christian title, how zealously shall I then, likewise, under 
 all circumstances study to perform my duties satisfactorily. 
 Be it then even this morning my employment to consider the 
 
 x 
 
306 MORNING COMMUNINGS 
 
 greatness and the weight of my earthly vocation. This 
 short and uncertain existence in the flesh is bestowed upon 
 me in order to prepare me for that immutable life, into which 
 death will carry me. Therefore ought my walk to be in 
 heaven, and my wishes to be directed to that which neither 
 perisheth nor passeth away. 
 
 I ought to regard the possessions of this earth only as the 
 means of acquiring more estimable property, and only as 
 such love them and use them : I ought to enjoy them as if 
 I enjoyed them not, and possess them as if I possessed them 
 not. I ought, when my duty requires it, to sacrifice every 
 worldly advantage with firmness, as did my Saviour, man's 
 divine friend. I ought to be zealous and indefatigable in the 
 profession to which God has called me, and only in con- 
 scientious industry and active integrity seek my prosperity. 
 I must never forget that I am an instrument of God's good- 
 ness and mercy in my station, when I pursue its offices in 
 the zeal of charity. All this I ought to do in the spirit of 
 Jesus Christ, and according to the principles of his doctrine. 
 I ought so to act, because I can thus alone become worthy 
 of God's grace, and be happy hereafter, and because such 
 sentiments and such conduct are alone consistent with my 
 rational and Christian rank. 
 
 O ! that I could bear witness to myself that my disposi- 
 tion has hitherto been such, and my behaviour so conscien- 
 tious, so faithful, so full of the fruits of human kindness ! 
 O ! that I could boast, that I have always performed my 
 professional duties with friendliness and love, always endured 
 the burdens of my calling with courage and confidence, al- 
 ways laboured with zeal and assiduity ! But I cannot give 
 this testimony to myself; I cannot claim this renown. I 
 must rather confess that truly my spirit is willing, but my 
 flesh is weak, and that I have always avoided self-denial and 
 self-conquest; I must confess that I often goto my daily voca- 
 tion with disinclination and inward repugnance, and cannot 
 master a certain indolence and disgust which prevent me 
 from exerting myself with diligence and vigour. 
 
 The constant recollection of thee, thou omnipresent God, 
 and of him whom thou didst send, that he might establish 
 his glorious pattern before the face of the world, must from 
 this day forward enliven my zeal and my fidelity, and infuse 
 
\V1TH GOD. 307 
 
 into me resolution and boldness even for the most costly 
 sacrifices. To become worthy of thy grace, must be my 
 endeavour and my joy. I am a Christian ! this thought 
 must never leave me : how can I fail to find in this idea the 
 strongest incitement and encouragement to do good without 
 feeling weary, and to persevere even to the end. 
 
 JULY 26. 
 
 Morning Meditation a Jit Preparation for the Duties of the 
 
 Day. 
 
 WHAT are the thoughts and considerations by means of 
 which I may place myself in that frame of mind which is best 
 adapted to my vocations for the day, and which can best aug- 
 ment my fortitude for the difficulties and trials of life ? Is it 
 wisely done, if immediately on awaking from sleep, I occupy 
 my soul with cares and projects relative to my earthly happi- 
 ness, penetrate far into the future, and abandon myself to 
 anxious apprehensions ? Thoughts and considerations of this 
 kind certainly do obtrude themselves upon my soul ; but do they 
 also confirm my repose, enliven my hope, strengthen my con- 
 fidence ? I rest under God's protection ; his wise providence it 
 is which orders my destiny, and directs the events of the world ; 
 my heart, indeed, still continues to beat, but it is the Lord 
 alone who bestows on it the power by which it does so. There- 
 fore will I employ my whole soul with the remembrance of the 
 arbiter of my life, that it may be comforted and full of trust. 
 Eternal God, whether I move, stand still, sit, or lie down, 
 I am everywhere under thy eyes. Thy heavens are over me, 
 and the earth is thine. I live only through thy mercy. I 
 shall lose myself wholly, if I reflect on the multitude of thy 
 creatures : yet thou knowest me and providest for me as easily, 
 surely, and as exactly, as if I were the only creature in the 
 universe. My body, my soul, all the changes of my mortal 
 state have an influence on the aggregate of the world : Oh ! 
 aid me, that according to my ability I may do as much good 
 as I can. Thou hast formed me for thy honour and lor fe- 
 licity : be honour at all times by me ascribed to thee ! 
 
308 MORNING COMMUNINGS 
 
 The experience of every single day strengthens my faith, 
 and brings me new proofs of thy goodness. Of thousands of 
 thy benefits, most kind Father, I cannot name one : but I 
 expect an eternity, which alone will suffice to declare the won- 
 ders of thy grace. 
 
 Again I have received a great instance of thy favour. I 
 doubted of a desired success : but thou hast brought my un- 
 belief to shame, and convinced me that to thee all things are 
 possible. 
 
 How many unobserved benefactions have vanished from 
 before me with the fleeting moment ! How prone is my 
 thankless heart to forget thy deeds of tenderness ! How much 
 do I accumulate my own grief! 
 
 Through thee, Jesus, am I redeemed, that I may serve 
 thee in holiness and righteousness all the days of my life. 
 This day also I owe to thee. Be it sanctified to thy service and 
 to thy honour. Lead me, through thy Spirit, in the even 
 path. Let me employ this day well, enjoy it innocently, arid 
 pass it so, that in the evening I may be glad in it. Would 
 that I might but this day draw nearer to thee, O Jesus ! 
 
 O God, I will love thee from my heart. Thou art the light 
 and strength of all thy creatures. Thou teachest me to love all 
 men as my brethren. Let me in suffering and pain, in happi- 
 ness and distress, in all circumstances and vicissitudes, through 
 intercession, beneficence, example, good counsel, and assi- 
 duity to assist and oblige, seek to become useful to my fellow- 
 mortals. My last need will be composure and confidence at 
 the close of my life. Ah ! then think of me, my God ! Thou, 
 who hast hitherto guided me, forsake me not in that necessity. 
 Be my support under the feebleness of my nature : be my 
 pillar of fire when my eyes become dark ! Be my life when 
 I die, and throw open heaven to me when I awake from 
 death. 
 
 JULY 27. 
 
 Recourse to God under Need and Affliction. 
 
 WITH the present day I enter into a world amid the disquiet 
 and tumult of which the friendship and the love of my bre- 
 
WITH GOD. 309 
 
 thren are indispensable to my living tranquilly ^ and happily 
 Their good counsel must often influence and guide me ; their 
 care must watch over me ; their intercourse must inspire my 
 heart with comfort and peace; their commiseration must often 
 help to raise me up under my burdens, and their goodness to 
 alleviate my sorrows. Without the aid and the affection 
 of my fellow-pilgrims, my abode in this world would be 
 doubly grievous. Yet the most tender love and the most dis- 
 interested officiousness of my friends will in certain cases con- 
 tribute very little to my advantage. I will for once place 
 myself, in thought, in some of those situations which may 
 every day occur. What then, if I had either no friend, or if 
 my friends, with every inclination to assist me, were too feeble 
 to* do so? How should I act under such circumstances ? 
 Nothing further would remain for me than that I should have 
 recourse to that exalted and kind Friend who with his infinite 
 wisdom is likewise powerful enough to carry into execution 
 the designs both of that wisdom and of his goodness. 
 
 Well do the counsel and the support of trusty and skilful 
 friends console me in my perplexities ; but what is the counsel 
 of the best-informed man in comparison to the decisions and 
 the help of God ? He, he only is great in counsel and great 
 in deed. Can my friends guard me against injuries? the 
 protection of the Almighty is a far surer refuge for me. 
 Events may arrive, when my earthly friends must of necessity 
 be separated from me ; nay, innumerable disasters may de- 
 stroy me before their eyes, while they stand looking on, power- 
 less and unarmed for my rescue : but God is always with me ; 
 and as no danger is hidden from his sight, so is there like- 
 wise none so great out of which he cannot deliver me. Do I 
 find in the society of my friends a pleasing gratification ? 
 intercourse with my God offers me far superior delight. Are 
 they compassionate towards me in my miseries ? the mercy 
 of God is unbounded. In sickness, in pains, even in death 
 itself, when all terrestrial friends are but poor comforters, he 
 can cheer the soul and replenish it with divine joy. Do I 
 expect from my brethren loving assistance in regard to my 
 support ? God is infinitely more able, and his bounty endur- 
 eth for ever and ever. 
 
 Is God for me, who can be against me ? In his friendship 
 I would be satisfied, though I had not a friend on earth. Into 
 
310 MORNING COMMUNINGS 
 
 his bosom will I pour all my distresses and concern ; to his 
 counsel will I, under all accidents, resign myself, and trust in 
 his goodness. But I will at the same time take pains also 
 to form myself after him, and especially to love him. More 
 particularly shall my faith he directed to Christ Jesus, through 
 whom God is become my Father and my friend. In this 
 his well beloved, will God vouchsafe to me all that I can 
 desire. And O ! what blessings shall I this day obtain from 
 the love and the friendship of my God and of Jesus. Yet 
 this day will display to me only a small part of the streams 
 that flow from this exhaustless fountain. But eternity, eter- 
 nity will more perfectly unfold how indescribably blessed the 
 man is who has God for his friend. 
 
 JULY 28. 
 
 God's Blessing Indispensable to Success in our Undertakings. 
 
 CERTAIN as it is, that without God's blessing all our efforts 
 are to no purpose, little do I allow this truth to influence me. 
 I am eager to be happy ; I am anxious to remain sheltered 
 from all want and poverty ; I labour for this end ; I strive 
 and study to obtain the fruits of my toil ; I allow no endea- 
 vour to tire me in order to hunt out a little advantage ; I do 
 all on my own part, through which I can promise myself 
 success to my wishes : Nevertheless all is in vain. And the 
 saddest point for me is, that the further I think that I advance, 
 the further I retrograde. The more tranquil and contented 
 I hope to be, the more troubled and dissatisfied I become. 
 While I hope to win, I lose. And whence arises all this? 
 From my blindness. I reflect not that the blessing of God 
 enriches without care. I reflect not that it is to no avail to 
 rise early, to sit up late, and to eat the bread of carefulness, if 
 the Almighty crowns not my solicitude. I do not remember 
 that if the Lord buildeth not the house, the workmen build in 
 vain ; and that if the Lord defendeth not the city, the watch- 
 man keepeth watch in vain. In a word, I begin not by 
 erecting my tower of felicity on the foundations of prayer and 
 the fear of God. 
 
 I have, ere now, had many an experience of this folly in 
 

 WITH GOD. 311 
 
 my life. I should have been much happier, much more at 
 ease, and much more contented, than I actually have been, 
 if I had not selected false means. Why should I longer rob 
 myself of my own felicity ? Why should I yet longer use- 
 lessly pass my days in sorrow and concern? No; I will 
 this day choose a sure way to make firm my happiness and 
 quiet. My first office this morning shall be humbly to seek 
 my retreat in the goodness and power of my God. O Lord, 
 it is thy benevolent will that I should live happily and in 
 peace. Make ready for me thyself this happiness arid this 
 peace which I shall nowhere find on earth. I will labour 
 according to my strength, and promote the welfare of my 
 brethren according to my ability. Withdraw not from me 
 thy blessing, without which all my attempts and all my 
 wishes continue barren. Let thy fear be perpetually before 
 my eyes, without which the sweetest earthly blessing becomes 
 a curse, and the happiest life a burden. I abandon myself 
 wholly to thy providence, which will in me begin and finish 
 its work. I will not, through my want of faith, raise ob- 
 stacles to thy secret views, but follow with obedience the nod 
 and signal of thy government. Thou wilt be my God, and 
 accompany me in all my paths. Thou wilt fortify me and 
 bless me. I trust to thy goodness and to thy truth, which 
 have never left themselves without a witness. Guide me, 
 according to thy counsel, and receive me at length into 
 honour. Though thou shouldst yet conduct me by many 
 ways that may appear thorny and disagreeable, still wilt thou 
 at last lead me on the road that conducts to everlasting glory 
 and changeless felicity. 
 
 JULY 29. 
 
 Prayer for Aid to renounce carnal Affections, and for 
 Devotedness to God. 
 
 MOST holy God ! thou who fillest heaven and earth with thy 
 presence, and hearest the pious prayers of thy children with 
 approbation ; let thy mercy also listen to me, though I am 
 not worthy to approach thee ' 1 have hitherto bent my 
 
312 MORNING COMMUNINGS 
 
 wishes only to terrestrial benefits, plunged myself deep in the 
 cares and pleasures of this life, turned aside my mind from 
 thee, and disregarded those true joys which the consciousness 
 of thy grace affords. O ! that it had been always my de- 
 light to adhere to thee, and to walk in thy ways ! Now do 
 I sincerely wish to tear myself loose from the world, to have 
 intercourse with thee alone, and to spread before thee all my 
 longings and desires. But the carnal gratifications and soli- 
 citudes in which I am so firmly entangled will, in despite of 
 me, withdraw my thoughts from my good purpose, and avert 
 my love from thee. My ideas wander from one idle object 
 to another : my hope in thee sinks ; my ardour for heavenly 
 possessions cools ; and my heart is far from ihee, even when 
 I adore thee with my lips. 
 
 Therefore be gracious to me, O God. Strengthen the 
 fidelity of my heart, that it may wholly resign itself to thee 
 and to thy love. Replenish it with such a strong and opera- 
 tive love towards thee, that this love may elevate it far above 
 all mundane contemplations to thee, and maintain my soul in 
 an uninterrupted, eager longing after thy grace. How re- 
 plete with hope and consolation shall I then be in all situa- 
 tions of my life while I reflect on thee, O my God ! how 
 joyfully shall I submit myself to thy decrees, how mightily 
 through my affection for thee shall I be transported beyond 
 all assaults of the world ! Hence I beseech thee with fer- 
 vour and reliance, produce in me, O God, a pure heart, and 
 grant me understanding, that I may never either be over- 
 whelmed with the anxieties of this life, or careless in regard 
 to the concerns of the soul, or loaded with the burden of sin- 
 ful lusts. Let my soul neither through levity nor criminal 
 ingratitude be unmindful of thee. Fit me rather to love thee 
 with active endearment and with sacred veneration. Chain 
 me with the gentle and indissoluble bonds of thy affection, 
 that, so often as I prostrate myself before thy throne, I may 
 forget all sublunary attractions, and look up to thee, thou 
 best good, with admiration and humility. O ! that I might 
 succeed in collecting my scattered thoughts, and converging 
 them all to thee alone ! Thou, O God, who performest all 
 things with benevolence, and wouldst so willingly make me 
 happy in the enjoyment of thy goodness, thou impartest to 
 me thy support, and exaltest my spirit above the transient 
 
WITH GOD. 313 
 
 and the perishable. Whensoever I draw near to thee ; teach 
 me to pray in such a frame of mind, that I may obtain the 
 accomplishment of my supplications; so to seek thee, that I 
 may find thee. Teach me so to live, that I may hereafter 
 die* happily and in peace. Yes, thou wilt hearken to me ; 
 for thy mercy and thy truth are great evermore, now, and 
 henceforth unto eternity. 
 
 JULY 30. 
 
 God's Government and Assistance always requisite to Man- 
 
 IF I would this morning enter the world in reliance on my 
 own strength, I must inevitably at the first step that I made, 
 discover my own insufficiency, and the dominion of wicked- 
 ness over my heart. Severe temptations would not be neces- 
 sary to vanquish me ; a trifle would be able to shake all my 
 good purposes and undermine all my resolutions. Had I 
 hitherto, in my contest with the world and with sin, been 
 abandoned to my own powers, the situation of my soul would 
 be yet far more melancholy than it really is. That I, who 
 have been so often already subdued by small allurements, 
 and hurried into sin, have yet till now remained ever free 
 from more fatal aberrations and from grosser vices, whom 
 have I to thank for this ? the force of my reason, the in- 
 fluence of my conscience, or the solidness of my principles 
 and determinations ? Ah ! if the almighty arm of God had 
 not held me back; had he relinquished me to the flood 
 of destruction ; had Jesus Christ, my Redeemer, not peti- 
 tioned for me ; what iniquity would have been too frightful 
 for me, as soon as the Spirit of the Lord had thus forsaken 
 me ? Under what trial should I not have sunk ? What se- 
 ductive example would have carried me along with it ? Can 
 I, indeed, recollect without trembling, that I often lingered 
 with pleasure on evil thoughts, and nourished impious de- 
 sires ? And yet now I can sincerely detest them ! I can 
 love godliness, and execute with constancy my holy designs. 
 But if even now, while I still belong not to the number of 
 .those transgressors who drown all feelings of religion and 
 
314 MORNING COMMUNINGS 
 
 virtue within them, God, with his laws, his exhortations, and 
 his threatenings, makes so weak an impression upon me ; 
 what would then become of me, if I were always to grow 
 more accustomed to sin, more indifferent towards the Lord 
 and towards righteousness; more insensihle to my conscience, 
 and more expert in vice ? And into all these abysses of per- 
 dition I my easily fall, if thou thyself, O God, dost not pre- 
 serve my heart and watch over my soul. I shudder when I 
 think how wretched and guilty I may this day be, if thy 
 good Spirit does not protect me from criminality and misery. 
 How much that is terrible have I to dread in eternity, if 
 thou rule me not with thy grace ! 
 
 Lord, thou knowest me; thou knowest how small my 
 vigour is to combat against sin. Withdraw not therefore 
 away from me thy Spirit and thy longsuffering goodness. 
 Warn me through my conscience of the unhappiness into 
 which I may run headlong ; arm me through thy power 
 against all the temptations which may assail me. Merciful 
 Saviour, who wast tempted and proved every way, I present 
 myself before the throne of thy grace. Let me at all times 
 with thee, and in the contemplation of thy example, find help, 
 when help is needful for me, that I may be guarded from 
 voluntary offences, and daily increase in sanctity 
 
 JULY 31. 
 
 On an unprofitable Lapse of Time 
 
 NOTHING detains the rapid course of time ; one year, one 
 month, one day, flies after another, and so speedily that they 
 are already gone while I think of their fleetness. Where are 
 now the days of this month ? They are vanished like a 
 morning dream ; and with difficulty can I recollect that it is 
 thirty days which I have lived in this departed period. These 
 days appear to me only as so many hours. How much did 
 I purpose to perform during this month, which on this, its 
 last day, remains unaccomplished ! What flattering hopes 
 did I form to myself for it, which even at this hour have not 
 been fulfilled ! Amid all the arrangements which I made, 
 
WITH GOD. 315 
 
 time marched forward, and showed me the vanity of all my 
 schemes and efforts. If I had been wise, I should, even at 
 the beginning of the month, have anticipated its end, and con- 
 ducted myself in all my affairs like a man whose time escapes 
 out of his hands. But, alas! alas! I even strove to abridge 
 that time which is of itself but a span long. I sought to 
 chase away the hours, which were hurrying of their own ac- 
 cord, rapidly hence. I constantly consoled myself with the 
 future, though the present is so uncertain and so transient. 
 
 And what do I now do when I stand at the close of the 
 month ? While, full of penitence, I perceive how little I have 
 completed my duties in the elapsed space, I promise to my- 
 self, that in the days to come I shall act more commendably. 
 But would that I might also remember how doubtful it is 
 whether the morrow will yet be mine ! Only the single im- 
 mediate minute in which I live this only is mine ! What I 
 leave undone in this minute will perhaps remain undone all 
 my life ; for the night falls suddenly, and then the work must 
 cease. Now let this very minute be that by which I seek to 
 profit, and which I would employ to my salvation. Let this 
 moment bring to my memory the guilt of so many squandered 
 minutes. Let this moment make good the sins of all my past 
 years. But, ah ! how fruitless is this wish, if thou, my Re- 
 deemer, coverest not all my offences with thy blood. Let 
 this blood then flow for atonement and amendment upon all 
 my past days. Let it free me from the punishment which 
 perhaps awaits me, and let it sanctify my future life, that I 
 may spend it, O Jesus, to thy honour and my soul's health. 
 If I obtain this grace, the termination of the present month 
 will be as blessed for me as I pray that the termination of my 
 sojourn in this world may prove. 
 
 AUGUST 1. 
 
 The Invariableness of God's Goodness. 
 
 AMID the speedy and incessant flight of time, the progress 
 of which spurns even the shortest retardment, it sweetly 
 soothes my heart to think that thy goodness, O eternal God, 
 
316 MORNING COMMUNINGS 
 
 rests immoveable and fixed for ever, and that it will manifest 
 itself to me even then, when time shall be no more. Nume- 
 rous years, months, and days have fled within the period of 
 my life ; but constant and changeless has remained thy inex- 
 pressible beneficence, which, even ere I entered into the 
 world made me the object of its propitious bounty. The fur- 
 ther I retrace my existence, the more abundantly do I disco- 
 ver the proofs of my ruling providence. It shone upon me 
 as the star of my nativity ; it scattered over me the joys of 
 infancy and youth ; it displayed itself in the midst of all the 
 dangers, infirmities, and errors to which I was exposed. Yes, 
 the goodness of the Lord was in my childhood my nurse, in 
 youth my guide, in my riper years my companion, and when 
 I become grey it will still be my support. 
 
 Such great and indescribable benefits as my whole past life 
 exhibits, justify me in hoping for the future also everything 
 that is good from God. That providence which watched 
 over the holy and blessed life of my Jesus will likewise mag- 
 nify itself in me because I am one of his redeemed. Hence I 
 can commence this month with a contented spirit. How many 
 changes may the space of one-and-thirty days, which this 
 month contains, occasion ! How much during this period 
 may I experience or endure ! Since every day has its dis- 
 tress, how many distresses may be in store for me in a whole 
 month ! Yet, however thoughtful this consideration may 
 render me, am I tranquillized when I reflect that God's kind- 
 ness endureth eternally, and that his truth is every day re- 
 newed ? I know that when this month is finished, I shall be 
 compelled again to say, as at the close of every former one : 
 " Never was there a day in which I received not fresh testi- 
 monies of God's benevolence.-" 
 
 Maintain in me, O God, this consolatory belief. Many in- 
 cidents may occur to-day, or at least in the course of the pre- 
 sent month, which may tend to shake my faith. But let no- 
 thing that shall happen to me avert my heart from thy love 
 and afliance in thee. Implant joyful confidence and strength- 
 ening hope in my soul, that they may everywhere accompany 
 me and hold dominion over me. Continually must I keep 
 thee before my eyes as my lawgiver, benefactor, and rewarder. 
 In all that I undertake be thy glorification my aim, and be 
 $he life hereafter the scope of all mv endeavours. With these 
 
WITH GOD. 317 
 
 sentiments I shall be enabled to comfort myself in the cer- 
 tainty of thy assistance, and to assure myself of thy perpetual 
 love. 
 
 AUGUST 2. 
 
 Every Man capable of promoting Righteousness in his own 
 Sphere, but must begin by correcting himself. 
 
 EVERY day places me in a new connexion with the world, 
 and lays upon me new obligations, of which, if I would fulfil 
 my destination, and defeat not the grand purpose of my life, 
 I must never lose sight. I am not to be a mere spectator in 
 the world ; I ought to contribute the utmost in my power to- 
 wards the diminution of evil, the promotion of virtue, and the 
 general happiness. The house in which I dwell, the society 
 which I frequent, the circle which is appointed to me these 
 constitute my world that which belongs in particular to me, 
 and in which I am to exercise my efforts for improvement. 
 When all around me is abomination and desolation, here must 
 I erect to God a sanctuary, and to innocence a refuge ; since 
 it will be demanded of me how much or how little I have 
 effected or aided, within my peculiar sphere, the maintenance 
 of the fear of God, or, at least, the prevention of prevailing 
 corruption. I may be placed in a situation, and the case is 
 daily probable, in which I shall be able to produce good, 
 or, at least, not to obstruct it by my hinderance. I have 
 intercourse with men ; I have friends ; in regard to these, 
 I may without doubt find now and then an accidental op- 
 portunity which may create impression and amendment. 
 Among so many useless words, a single one, spoken for 
 warning and instruction, may be attended with immense 
 advantage. If only God and my conscience prevail with me 
 above everything ; if only a true affection for mankind ani- 
 mate my bosom, it will be always possible for me to operate 
 some good, however trivial it may seem. 
 
 Principally must I, however, occupy myself with my own 
 reformation. My own faults are those which I must first 
 and can most easily, correct : and if I have only first taken 
 pains to render myself better, and to enhance the value of 
 
318 MORNING COMMUNINGS 
 
 my soul's salvation in my own opinion, I shall engage with 
 zeal in the task of advancing the true happiness of my 
 brethren. How shall I be then affected to see the vicious 
 hastening into destruction ! How readily shall I employ 
 prayers, representations, and tears, to save their souls ! 
 
 O ! then let this be my endeavour on the present day, and 
 on each which God may still permit me to behold ! For he 
 that turns a sinner from his errors, saves a soul, and will 
 cover a multitude of sins. I will go into the world with the 
 firm determination to live blameless and undefiled, and as a 
 child of God amidst a perverted generation. God preserve 
 me from the sin that I should render my fellow-creatures yet 
 more corrupt and more flagitious through my conduct ! No; I 
 will far rather exert all my powers to increase still more widely 
 the diffusion of righteousness and godliness. And should 
 practical means be wanting to me, I will yet, by my suppli- 
 cations to the Lord and by example, become a blessing and 
 an edification to others. Inflame me, O Jesus, with this 
 holy ardour ! Thou, illustrious Friend of man, didst labour 
 so industriously for the felicity of the human race, thou didst 
 always try to draw the sinner to thyself: thou lamentedst 
 with tears the overwhelming devastation of Jerusalem. 
 Let me herein also be like to thee, and, with as much sin- 
 cerity as thou didst, sacrifice myself for the benefit of my 
 brethren. O ! what a divine joy if I can rescue but one sin- 
 ner, if I can succour but one wretched brother ! Let me feel 
 this noble pleasure which even hereafter in heaven will 
 heighten my felicity. 
 
 AUGUST 3. 
 
 The Duty of consecrating ourselves to God. 
 
 THE morning of every returning day repeats to me a solemn 
 summons to yield myself up to the Lord, the exalted friend 
 of my soul, and the preserver of my life. How shall I live 
 without devoting myself to him, through whom I live, move, 
 and have my being ? Is it possible that my blood should 
 circulate without flowing for him at whose command it runs 
 
WITH GOD. 319 
 
 through my veins ? Is it possible that my soul should be 
 capable of feeling its own consciousness of thinking, wishing, 
 and loving, and yet neither think of him, nor long for him, 
 nor love him, through whom it was created and redeemed ? 
 Can I have eyes to see, and yet not regard with reverence 
 that God who is so visible to me in all his works ? Can I 
 have ears to hear, and listen not to that soft ravishing voice 
 which invites me from the ways of sin to the paths of virtue? 
 Can I possess feeling, and yet feel not that gentle irresistible 
 force of love with which God seeks to attract me to himself? 
 No, Everlasting and most Holy Being, I will not act so un- 
 thankfully, so obstinately, as to withhold from thee that 
 which thou canst by right require from me. Lo, here am I : 
 be my soul, my body, my limbs, my health, my life, and all 
 that thou hast given me, solemnly consecrated to thee in 
 this morning hour. All will cease to be a happiness for me 
 if they be not dictated to thee and to thy service. It is even 
 my highest felicity, in like manner as it is my most bounden 
 duty, to be thy offering and thy property. 
 
 And this I will be by performing with strictest conscien- 
 tiousness what thou hast prescribed to me ; by doing good 
 with most indefatigable activity, while it is yet day with me; 
 and by supporting, with firmness and fortitude, all that thy 
 wisdom may decree to me. I will be so through the volun- 
 tary sacrifice of my repose and of my life itself in the ac- 
 complishment of thy statutes and of thy pleasure; and 
 through the uninterrupted performance of the hardest duties 
 which thou imposest on my soul. I will be so through the 
 careful purifying of my heart from all wickedness, through 
 the sanctification of my inclinations, and through the con- 
 quest of my passions. O ! do thou look down well-pleased, 
 my God, upon this vow of my bosom, and aid me by the 
 force of thy Holy Spirit, that I may truly and faithfully 
 keep it. 
 
 Thus then set thyself apart, my soul, for the Lord and for 
 his service ! Duty and gratitude exact of thee, that thou 
 shouldst become the peculiar possession of thy God and or 
 thy Jesus. He cries to thee : " Give me thy heart ! " Be- 
 ware that thou refuse not to him this offering. Give him 
 thy heart to cleanse it, to sanctify it, and to strengthen it. 
 Though the world on one side, and sin on the other, entreat 
 
320 MORNING COMMUNINGS 
 
 from thee this donation; and though thousands of thy fellow- 
 mortals may be so foolish and so miserable as to comply with 
 their request ; O ! be thou determined and resolved to say 
 with Joshua : " As for me and my house, we will serve the 
 Lord." How little cause wilt thou have to regret this reso- 
 lution, when thou reflectest upon its happy consequences ! 
 for goodness and mercy will follow thee here, and life and 
 blessedness will rejoice thee hereafter. 
 
 AUGUST 4. 
 
 God's Provision for Man's Convenience and Support. 
 
 THE air which I breathe ; the light by which I see ; the 
 heat that warms me ; the fruits of the earth which nourish 
 me ; the water which revives me ; the animals which con- 
 duce partly to my food, and partly to my assistance and con- 
 venience all these are things which I ought to regard as 
 great blessings which God daily bestows upon me. And 
 though there were nothing further on the earth than merely 
 such things as are absolutely necessary for my support, even 
 out of these the goodness of God would be amply percep- 
 tible. But he has proceeded further in his benevolence : he 
 has provided equally as well for my pleasures as for my ne- 
 cessities. I should be able to preserve my life, though I had 
 nothing more than roots and water for my sustenance. But 
 his goodness unlocks for me all the stores of nature, to render 
 me satisfied and glad. He has most kindly ordained so that 
 joy and delight stream into the soul through all the senses. 
 Nature presents to me in summer a rapturous aspect : the 
 earth exhibits to me, besides her verdant plants, the most 
 beautifully variegated flowers, which not only enchant my 
 eyes with their innumerable tints, but by their odoriferous 
 exhalations spread around the most agreeable scents. The 
 ear is enraptured by the song with which the birds fill the 
 vaulted dome of the sky. All nature is employed at the 
 order of the Creator to produce for me nourishment, refresh- 
 ment, and gratification. The earth is fertile in his goodness 
 and his gifts. 
 
WITH GOD. 321 
 
 Lord, forgive me my incapacity, so anxious am I to praise 
 thy benefits according to thy worth. But words fail me to 
 express how gracious, how amiable, how beneficent thou art. 
 I stand here surrounded by the wonders of thy favour. 
 Which shall I first proclaim? Where shall I pause? Where 
 shall my admiring amazement cease? Even the harvest- 
 field alone is a boundless scene of thy miracles and power. 
 The less I am able to relate them, the more carefully will 
 I use every opportunity of reflecting upon them, and thank- 
 ing thee for them. This is the way in which I may attain to 
 the purest and noblest enjoyment of nature, and become more 
 deserving of thy blessings and thy esteem. 
 
 Yes, almighty Benefactor, I acknowledge with grateful 
 heart thy goodness ; and may this acknowledgment influence 
 my soul during the whole day. May it awaken me to con- 
 fidence in thee. May it promote the peace of my mind, and 
 instigate me above all things to love and to fear thee. How 
 basely should I act were I to reward thy love with ingrati- 
 tude or disrespect ! How little should I deserve the continu- 
 ance of thy mercy, were I not excited by it to strive after 
 thy approbation ! Let this important view be attained in me 
 through the contemplation of thy works. Let nature open 
 to me a school for my heart, in which I may daily learn to 
 know more evidently thy greatness and my own insignifi- 
 cancy, and become more sensible, both of thy goodness and 
 my own unworthiness. How wise, how tranquil, how happy 
 shall I then become 
 
 AUGUST 5. 
 
 Man a Pilgrim and Sojourner on Earth. 
 
 ABUNDANT memorials present themselves on every side to 
 remind me, that the situation in which I am placed in this 
 world is that of a state of pilgrimage. Whether I regard 
 myself as a man or as a Christian, I must in either case con- 
 fess that I am only a stranger and a sojourner on the earth. 
 My body, this weak an/1 fragile tenement, this dwelling, 
 which even with the strongest stands but for a few years, and 
 
322 MORNING COMMUNINGS 
 
 which at last falls to pieces of itself, or is thrown into ruins 
 by some external accident, forms a striking proof that my 
 place of lasting abode is not appointed here. Even the con- 
 dition of my soul is such as to bring me to the same conclu- 
 sion, since the latter is ever restless and unsatisfied. All the 
 possessions of the earth have this in common, that they are 
 short, transitory, and fleeting. The honour of this world is 
 uncertain and slippery. Its pleasures are not so great as the 
 repentance that follows them. And to all this it must be 
 added, that it costs much labour, fatigue, and uneasiness, 
 both to obtain these worldly advantages, and even for a time 
 to preserve them. 
 
 If this is my real situation on earth, how greatly should I 
 act in opposition to my destiny were I to live as if this world 
 were my fixed residence ? To be convinced that this life is 
 only a journey, and yet to toil after gratifications and amuse- 
 ments, yet to forget the real purpose of our travels, yet to 
 sacrifice ourselves to the world and its allurements, O ! 
 that would be indeed a monstrous folly. Since I know that 
 I am but a guest and a pilgrim, I must accustom myself to 
 a very different mode of thinking : I must possess all earthly 
 things as if I had them not; I must use temporal goods with- 
 out clinging to the lusts of the world, which are utterly in- 
 compatible with my dignity as a member of Christ's church, 
 and with the end and destination of my spirit. 
 
 I still live to fulfil these duties: the Lord has yet this 
 day further prolonged my pilgrimage; and, as on the pre- 
 sent morning, I gird myself anew for my progress, I bind 
 myself to all the obligations which a pilgrim ought con- 
 stantly to keep before his eyes. Eternal God, impress them, 
 through thy Spirit, deeply on my heart. Amid the charms, the 
 sensuality, and the fascinations of the world, I forget but too 
 easily that I am on the road to heaven. Maintain this con- 
 sideration in full vigilance in my soul, and let it be the direct- 
 ing mark of my whole conduct through this state of exist- 
 ence. However grievous my worldly station may appear, 
 thou wilt not let it^be void of solace to sweeten my pilgrim- 
 age. But nothing will more powerfully exhilarate me under 
 all hardships and difficulties than the prospect of that home 
 into which thou wilt bring me at the finish of my wander- 
 ings. O the wished-for day, when I shall quit this clay- 
 
WITH GOD 32S 
 
 built hut, and be ushered into the assembly of spirits ! The 
 more I dwell on this idea, the more I feel the dignity of my 
 nature and the exaltedness of my destiny, and the more I am 
 thereby able to comfort myself under the sufferings of life. 
 And while I am thus filled with the hope of immortality, 
 I cannot pass without ardently longing after it, the short 
 time which I have still to live. 
 
 AUGUST 6. 
 
 The Sorrows of Repentance, and their Remedy. 
 
 I KNOW thy law, thou holy and righteous God, and I know 
 and believe that thou hast given me no commandment which 
 does not tend to my peace. I hear daily thy parental voice 
 in the stirrings of my conscience: I see everywhere thy 
 judgments, when I regard the fate of those who wickedly 
 transgress thy ordinances, and harden themselves against the 
 exhortations and menaces of the invisible monitor within 
 them. Frequently in my own heart do I experience thy 
 chastising righteousness, and painfully learn that the ungodly 
 know no peace. And yet my heart ever wavers between 
 wisdom and folly, piety and sinfulness, virtue and vice ; yet 
 I am continually choosing that which destroys my mental 
 repose, and renders me unworthy of thy grace. I cannot 
 look back upon any past day, nay, not upon any elapsed mo- 
 ment, without accusing myself; and never yet have I lived a 
 day on which I had not some folly to repent, some trespass 
 to sigh over, some infidelity towards my duty and towards 
 thee to regret. O ! how anxiously does my heart wish to 
 obtain a pure consciousness, and to be well pleasing to thee ! 
 How deeply and severely does it feel its own failings ! But 
 must I relinquish the hope of arriving at this happy tran- 
 quillity, and becoming pure in heart ? Can I here never be- 
 come freed from the stings of remorse, and from the torment 
 of irresolution and inconstancy ? Yes, I may rescue myself, 
 and enjoy untroubled quiet, if I shun not the contest with mv 
 sensual appetites, if I become an observer of this heart, and 
 if I learn to master myself and to deny myself. I may 
 
324 MORNING COMMUNINGS 
 
 attain to the blessed freedom of the children of God, when I 
 have procured the strength to overcome evil with good. And 
 this strength will not be wanting to me, if my whole soul be 
 filled with reverence and love towards God, if God's grace 
 be my chief desire and chief happiness, if I be always 
 mindful of the omniscience and the justice of the Lord, and 
 keep the conviction of my rational dignity constantly in 
 mind ; and if at the same time I hold my eyes faithfully and 
 steadily fixed on the pattern which my Redeemer has left for 
 me, and implicitly follow the principles and maxims of his 
 gospel. O ! how happy do I already feel in the hope that I 
 shall succeed in reaching the great goal which Jesus has set 
 before me, and in obtaining that unruffled calm of the soul 
 which I have so often earnestly sought, but have never 
 hitherto found. Be thou my support, O God, while I press 
 forward to this goal : give power and fidelity to my weak 
 heart, and let me in the contemplation of thee and of thy 
 heaven find a strong incitement to the renewal of my efforts, 
 should I ever become weary. Do thou aid me, O God, and 
 grant me thy success. 
 
 AUGUST 7. 
 Motives for Contentment. 
 
 DID I possess such a happy disposition of mind, that I 
 could declare myself contented both in good and in evil with 
 the portion that the Almighty allots to me, and that I were 
 sure that the bountiful and wise providence of God, even 
 when it appeared least to do so, always consulted for my 
 best and real advantage, how tranquilly could I behold each 
 rising morning, how satisfied should I feel at every change 
 of fortune, and with what composure should I await the 
 future ! But how often do unbelief and discontent at the 
 ordinances of God arise in my soul ! How often do I mur- 
 mur in my heart against the Lord of my life, who leads me 
 with such wisdom and goodness ! If I carefully examine 
 my heart, I shall find that even this morning it is not free 
 from want of faith and discontent. I think with dissatisfae- 
 
WITH GOD. 325 
 
 tiori and despondency on the hardships which I have to sus- 
 tain in my calling, and am grieved that I cannot obtain the 
 success which I consider essential to my quiet. 
 
 Be composed, thou dissatisfied, cowardly heart : thou sin- 
 nest against thy Creator. God remaineth wise and supremely 
 good, murmur as thou mayst. Perhaps thou hast some suf- 
 fering to endure, and thou wouldst rise up in displeasure 
 against it? Revert to thy past life, and mark how many 
 benefits God has bestowed upon thee, how many afflictions 
 he has aided thee to surmount, how many testimonies of 
 grace far overbalancing all thy sorrows thou hast already 
 received from him. Wherefore wilt thou not then submit with 
 resignation to a slight inconvenience ? To every station are 
 attached its own difficulties and its peculiar uneasinesses. 
 Deem thyself fortunate that thou art a citizen of this world, 
 which the Almighty governs so skilfully and kindly. Thou 
 art an instrument of his glorification; and out of every event 
 that may occur to thee, God's majesty shines forth. Frus- 
 trate not his sacred plans through thy murmuring complaints, 
 but honour them by a relying confidence in his providen- 
 tial care. Abandon thyself to his guidance with complete 
 dependence. How would it be with thee if God would 
 not take charge of thee? Where wouldst thou every day 
 find peace and hope, and comfort for thy mind? How 
 wouldst thou escape the dangers that stand ready to de- 
 vour thee ? Rejoice that thou hast in God a nourisher and 
 a supporter, and that thou art an object of his gracious fore- 
 sight. 
 
 Full of this joy, and full of trust, enter anew upon thy path 
 of life. It is true thou kriowest not beforehand what may 
 this day happen to thee, and it will certainly not be free from 
 cares and torments ; but owest thou not thy best joys and 
 thy happiest feelings to these anxieties and troubles ? Does 
 no*t the sun always shine more lovely after cloudy days? 
 Dost riot thou always rejoice most ardently after thou hast 
 overcome an affliction? And thy Father knows what is 
 most useful for thee ; he tries thee not beyond thy power : 
 this thou mayst securely rely upon from him. Supposing 
 that thou shalt this day have a sorrow to bear ; God, who 
 has destined to thee thy grief, must also have in store for 
 thee its accompanying consolation. And after all, how canst 
 
326 MORNING COMMUNINGS 
 
 thou deserve undisturbed felicity? This world was never 
 formed for uninterrupted happiness ; and thou art thyself too 
 corrupted for such a state to fall to thy share. Tarry a few 
 moments : then wilt thou be in another world, which will 
 fulfil all thy wishes, of which so many remain here unsatisfied. 
 
 AUGUST 8. 
 
 Maxims of Wisdom. 
 
 I CANNOT begin this new day which God vouchsafes to me, 
 either better or more prudently than by reflecting upon my 
 destination ; for when I have this before my eyes, I am pre- 
 served from many errors. By wise lessons Chiron formerly 
 educated Achilles to be a hero. I will represent them to 
 myself for my own instruction. Can flowers become my 
 teachers, why should I not accept good lessons from a 
 man ? 
 
 If God grants to thee length of days, do thou render them 
 still longer by a good use of them, and learn to live before 
 thou diest. Our true felicity springs, not from the extended 
 duration of our life, but from the manner in which we employ 
 it. Think not that an exalted station, high birth, or vast 
 riches, can procure for thee everlasting happiness. It is 
 badly secured when it rests on such perishable things, and not 
 on virtue. Real happiness may be found in all ranks, every 
 man may be a happy man in his way ; but few men seek for 
 happiness where alone it is to be found by them ; and hence 
 the greater number see themselves bitterly deceived in their 
 hopes. Carefully avoid the error of those who always desire 
 too much or too little. Stretch not thy expectations too far, 
 but at the same time never despair. Especially, however, 
 guard thyself from indolence and negligence, and keep a 
 strict observance over thy actions : otherwise thy life will 
 pass away like a dream, or, at best, in fancied pleasures. 
 Learn in time, when and how thou must suffer ; and learn al- 
 ready, in thy prosperous days, to be patient and contented. 
 Thou art inclined to anger : but let not this tyrannic passion 
 gain dominion over thee. It causes more injury in a moment 
 
WITH GOD. 327 
 
 than whole years a>e able to retrieve. It banishes all affec- 
 tion and quiet ; and in no soul, except in a mild and placable 
 spirit, can peace obtain a place. Our joys are short and in- 
 terrupted. Thou in vain requirest permanent felicity. We 
 must often be satisfied even with being not unhappy. Art 
 thou unhappy ? seek then into the cause of thy trouble, and 
 compare it with that of thy neighbours. Judge of thy calamity 
 by that which another suffers. As bees suck their honey out 
 of every flower, so do thou out of everything extract some 
 benefit and instruction. The smallest trifles are often very 
 useful. Learn the felicity which few understand, and yet 
 fewer practise, the felicity of doing good. Be herein like to 
 God, and strive to do as much service as thou canst to thy 
 fellow-creatures. Spend not thy life in mere expectation as 
 if it had never begun, or would never end. Hope sweetens 
 life ; but study also that thy hope may be accomplished. 
 Time hastens away : hasten, thou, therefore, to profit by it, 
 and to employ it wisely. Use the precious minutes which fly 
 from thee so" quickly. However short thy life may be, yet 
 will it be gloriously completed, if thou canst say in the hour 
 of death, " I have lived and employed every day for my 
 soul's salvation." 
 
 AUGUS 9. 
 The Hope of Immortality a powerful Incitement to Piety. 
 
 I FEEL new strength for the performance of goodness, and 
 holy zeal elevates my soul, when I think that Jesus Christ 
 is the witness and judge of my conduct, and my faithful help- 
 er, my friend, and guide, if my heart be devoted to him, and 
 my conduct be like his in heaven. I live under his eyes ; he 
 observes every action which I practise in faith, yes, every 
 impulse which I experience to glorify him. And now, like- 
 wise, as I raise my thoughts to him in devotion, he looks 
 down upon me from his exaltation. And how happy am I if 
 I obtain his applause ! My faith may remain unknown to 
 the world : it is to me already enough if I am known to 
 the Lord, who sees even-into that which is hidden. O ! how 
 must my heart be inflamed, when I consider that I have for 
 
3-28 MORNING COMMUNINGS 
 
 a testimony and a spectator of my worship, him who not only 
 takes a part in every virtue which is exercised with an upright 
 heart, but who likewise excites it in the heart itself, and grants 
 the power which it requires! There is no description of 
 grace to be conceived which I may not expect from the Holy 
 Ghost, if I have only an earnest desire to become more per- 
 fect in the accomplishment of righteousness. O ! what a 
 consoling idea is it for me that I am not abandoned to my 
 frailties, but that I receive from the Lord whom I serve 
 vigour and support to carry his will into effect. 
 
 But the hope of a blessed immortality is that which fur- 
 nishes me with the most efficacious encouragement to be faith- 
 ful in my Christian vocation. Does the hope of an uncertain 
 gain render easy to the merchant the resolution to risk a long 
 and dangerous voyage ? Does the prospect of a desired post 
 of eminence make the ambitious man willing to submit to the 
 most galling constraint, and deny indulgence to every incli- 
 nation that may oppose his views? Does the anticipation of 
 the pleasures which are connected with sin prompt the un- 
 godly voluptuary to sacrifice to such gratifications his fortune, 
 his rest, his good name, his health, and absolutely his very 
 life ? O ! how then can the exercise of my Christian duties 
 appear too hard to me when I call to mind the recompense 
 which is prepared for me in heaven, provided that I persevere 
 to the end ? How can I hesitate to relinquish the vain pos- 
 sessions of the earth, since everlasting possessions are in store 
 for me above? 
 
 Now, therefore, will I allow myself to be deterred by no 
 toil from fighting the good fight, striving incessantly, and re- 
 maining faithful to the claims of goodness. The hardships 
 which may accompany my efforts shall not restrain me. 
 Where is there a happiness to be obtained without struggle 
 and self-denial ? The more exalted the profession is to which, 
 as a Christian, I am appointed the greater the happiness 
 which is granted to me through it, so much the more, like- 
 wise, is it my duty to be true and constant. Only the com- 
 mencement is difficult, the progress will be lighter, and the 
 completion full of joy. O ! how shall I thus, at the close of 
 my course, forget all my troubles, when I see before me the 
 prize which I have laboured to win ! Let me, God, I be- 
 seech thee, with this new day, advance nearer to that prize, 
 
WITH GOD. 329 
 
 and not swerve from the holy hope which is laid up for me 
 in heaven 
 
 AUGUST 10. 
 
 Knowledge of Heaven and its Felicity . 
 
 MAN, who is born and destined for heaven, must learn to 
 know heaven and all its blessings : Man, who lives in the 
 world, must learn to know the world and all its evils. Both 
 acquirements are indispensably necessary to my felicity. If 
 I do not know heaven, I shall not long after it : if I do not 
 know the world, I shall every moment be exposed to the dan- 
 ger of becoming unhappy. To these two points I ought, all 
 my life through, to direct my aim. I ought to enjoy the 
 earth without forgetting heaven. But my very confined 
 notions often obstruct me in this duty. I know neither hea- 
 ven nor earth sufficiently. My inattention and distraction of 
 mind are so great, that I am not ravished by the most sub- 
 lime objects of heaven, nor carried away by them into vehe- 
 ment desire. 
 
 O ! if this morning my entire soul could be moved through 
 its first sensations of bliss ! If I only placed the world, with 
 all its known and unknown calamities, in comparison with 
 heaven and its concealed and revealed joys ! If I were only 
 earnestly convinced that this world is nothing, and that hea- 
 ven is all ; then should I strive after the virtues which, in the 
 connexion in w r hich I stand with heaven and earth, ought to 
 be possessed by me. How faithful should I be in the exer- 
 cise of love, if the love of the righteous made perfect were 
 always present to my contemplation ! How punctual should 
 I be .in obeying the* will of God, if I constantly represented 
 to myself the blessed in heaven, who place their delight in 
 their observance of the commandments of the Lord ! How 
 cautiously should I avoid all contention and envy, if I 
 t!i ought of the peace and calmness of heaven! How will- 
 ingly should I undertake the conflict against the charms of 
 the world, and every self-denial which is required in it, and 
 everything unpleasant that belongs to this warfare, if only 
 
330 MORNING COMMUNINGS 
 
 that glorious reward which awaits me above were perpetually 
 in my memory ! 
 
 But let me be of good cheer : this morning will I collect 
 all my mental faculties, and fix my heart on that happy 
 country of which I am one day to be an inhabitant. I will 
 accustom my heart to tear itself loose from the toils in which 
 it is entangled, ind allow myself, through the Holy Ghost, 
 more and more to be brought into that frame of mind which 
 will procure for me a foretaste of the felicity of heaven. I 
 will carefully balance together heaven and the world, happi- 
 ness and misery, life and death, and make my choice accord- 
 ing to the preponderance of each. 
 
 AUGUST 11. 
 
 God's Goodness proclaimed by all the Works of Creation. 
 
 THE whole world is a theatre of God's goodness: no crea- 
 ture is shut out from the enjoyment of his compassion ; and 
 of the proofs of his bounty no spot of the earth is void. I 
 find God everywhere ; in the most trackless deserts and on 
 the smiling plains, in heaven and on earth. And of this 
 beneficence which fills the entire universe, man possesses the 
 most conspicuous share. When, under the impression of this 
 idea, I -turn my thoughts to nature, how great do I then ap- 
 pear to myself ! With what feelings of gratitude and joy does 
 my heart overflow ! To what seraphic hopes is my soul ex- 
 alted ! Every part of the creation becomes then a means to 
 me of the knowledge of God, and an incitement to glorify him ; 
 I live for this purpose ; and for this purpose is the world re- 
 plenished with such countless myriads of creatures, that I may 
 contemplate them, and through the created learn to know and 
 admire the Creator. I ought to acknowledge and perceive 
 his infinite perfections, and to extend his fame. No moment 
 of my life passes in which I might not be charmed into this 
 happy occupation. Each respiration of my breath incites 
 me to praise my kind Creator. My whole life is a series of 
 blessings. Without the influence of his grace I could not 
 
WITH GOD. 331 
 
 for a moment live healthful and satisfied. Ought I not to 
 extol such kindness ! 
 
 But how little do I observe this duty ! I receive the most 
 precious gifts out of the hands of my Maker, without think- 
 ing of him. I hear all nature's hymn of celebration ; I be- 
 hold the ecstasy of all creatures ; I see the blessings of the 
 fields ; but I do not reflect, at the same time, with emotion 
 and gratitude on the Author of my being. O ! how does 
 the universal range of nature shame me ! No single crea- 
 ture keeps silence; each magnifies its Creator. The hea- 
 vens speak of the honour of the Lord, and the firmament 
 proclaimeth his handy work. One day telleth it to another, 
 and one night publisheth it to the next. How can I remain 
 mute amid this choral thanksgiving of creation ! 
 
 No ; praise the Lord, O my soul : sing the praise of him 
 who is so glorious in his works ! Yea, I will exalt thee, 
 thou King of all kings, thou Lord of all lords, and praise 
 thy name ever and eternally. I will speak of thy noble 
 state, and announce thy wonders ; I will laud thy great 
 goodness, and boast of thy righteousness. Thou coverest 
 the heavens with clouds, and givest rain to the earth. Thou 
 makest the moon to divide the year : thou makest darkness 
 that it may be night. Lord, how great and manifold are thy 
 works ! Thou hast wisely ordered them all, and the earth is 
 rich in thy mercies. All creatures that live come to thee, 
 that thou mayest feed them each at its proper time. When 
 thou bestowest upon them their nourishment, they assemble 
 themselves together. When thou openest thy hand, they 
 are satisfied with good. Lord, thy goodness is everlasting ! 
 Thou hast pleasure in thy productions : I will sing to the 
 Lord all my life lon^, and praise my God so long as I 
 exist. And this day, likewise, shall employ me in the glo- 
 rification of my Creator. The advancement of thy honour, 
 O God, shall be the chief object of my life. To this aim 
 shall all my actions, all my words conspire. And in this 
 manner will I prepare myself for that life, the essential hap- 
 piness of which consists in thy glorification. 
 
332 MORNING COMMUNINGS 
 
 AUGUST 12 
 
 The Christian prepared for every Vicissitude of Life. 
 
 How often already has the sorrowful mutability of terrestrial 
 things bowed me down ! how often have I learned with tears, 
 that all earthly happiness is but vanity and vexation ! From 
 a thousand results of my experience, I am compelled to con- 
 clude that in this world no complete felicity is to he expected 
 or desired. For how can the world render me happy, since 
 it is nothing more than a place in which pleasure and pain 
 continually interchange, and where I am incessantly exposed 
 either to the accidents of misfortune, or to the wicked plots 
 of unrighteous men ? Yet, blameable as it would be, were I 
 to become weary of my existence, and, out of despair, wish 
 for death: equally culpable would be my conduct, if I sought 
 for perfect prosperity in this life, and placed my heart wholly 
 on earthly success. It would be acting most inconsiderately, 
 to search in the world for those things which are not to be 
 found in it. Should I on this morning, which through God's 
 grace I live to behold, flatter myself with enjoying, during 
 the whole day, pleasure, tranquillity, and happiness, how 
 grievously should I deceive myself! I must with every new 
 day hold myself prepared for new instances of the instability 
 and vanity of all mortal things, and thus arm myself before- 
 hand with patience and firmness against their occurrence. 
 And if I then form the resolution to submit myself, under 
 all circumstances, to the government of God, I shall not be 
 so heavily depressed, or so entirely deprived of composure, 
 when calamities happen, which disturb my quiet. There- 
 fore will I never conceal from myself the possibility, that I 
 may this day yet be unhappy. I am now in health, but ere 
 the evening comes I may be lingering under deadly sickness. 
 I have now a faithful friend, but he may lose his integrity. 
 I now hail the rising sun with peaceful smiles of pleasure, 
 but how soon may I perhaps shed tears ! I am now living, 
 but how shortly may my end arrive ! 
 
 Thus to think is prudence ; and to act according to this 
 mode of thinking is understanding. I shall thus enjoy the 
 gratifications of the earth without danger, and my gladness 
 
WITH GOD. 333 
 
 will be the triumph of reason. The inconstancy of all things 
 around me will render me watchful and cautious, and the 
 world with its vanities will become a school for my heart, in 
 which I shall learn wisdom and virtue. A clear conscience, 
 and confidence in God will inspire me with courage, will 
 strengthen and fortify me, and alleviate my troubles and my 
 toils. And in this manner, even under the most afflicting 
 events, I shall possess a sweet contentment within myself. 
 I shall then undertake with a comforted spirit every labour 
 and hardship imposed upon me by him from whom 1 have 
 received my existence, and who has made toil the common 
 lot of mankind. With these sentiments the burdens of life 
 will not weigh too heavily upon my mind ; and terrestrial 
 mutability and vanity, instead of overthrowing my heart, 
 will raise it to the blessed hope of an imperishable world, 
 and even here bestow upon me, by anticipation, a portion of 
 its delight. 
 
 AUGUST 13. 
 
 The Effects of secret Prayer and Devotion manifest them- 
 selves in the public Affairs of Life. 
 
 MY heart urges me this morning, thou Searcher of all hearts, 
 to make before thee a humble confession of the corruption of 
 my soul. I feel and know, O God, and to thee also, thou 
 discoverer of the inmost secrets of the hidden bosom, is it 
 known, that this heart is still weak and perverse; that *ny un 
 derstanding is governed by my passions ; that I am carried 
 away by the deceitfulness of earthly things ; that I neglect 
 the good of my soul ; that I seek the vanities of temporal life 
 with restless ardour, and in them forget the one thing needful 
 above all, my own amendment ; that, deficient in faith, and 
 fearful, I regard the future with anxious timidity, and cast 
 from me confidence in thee, so often as the foolish desires and 
 expectations of my fancy remain unfulfilled. Lord, forgive 
 me these, and, besides these, the numerous errors concealed 
 even from myself, which I cannot confess to thee by name. 
 But confirm also, O iny God, my heart in constancy through 
 
S34 MORNING COMMUNINGS 
 
 the operations of thy Spirit. Let me always remember, that 
 passing feelings and impressions are not the essence of godli- 
 ness ; but pious sentiments which become visible in every act, 
 and bring forth plenteous fruit. Would that I might ever 
 continue the same that I now am ; ever thus animated through 
 intercourse with thee, ever thus finally disposed and confiding, 
 ever thus devout and true ! Are my Christian feelings awa- 
 kened in this privacy ? so must the very same Christian spirit 
 become conspicuous in my public conduct. It must so regu- 
 late my words and actions, that God, angels, and men, may 
 perceive that rny piety is always uniform. My Christian 
 profession, and my love for God, must take deep root in my 
 soul. My love must be irnmoveably fixed on God. My 
 watchfulness must increase with the temptations of this 
 world, and my whole life must be a copy of the divine con- 
 duct of my Saviour. Then will it appear conspicuous in all 
 my doings, how worthy of honour a Christian is. I shall in 
 the most effectual manner promote the diffusion of Chris- 
 tianity, if I let my own light shine before others, and attain 
 the consciousness of being myself a true professor of the best 
 religion. Support me in these purposes, O Jesus, and so 
 form me, that I may through them become ever more similar 
 to thee, and consequently more deserving of the felicity which 
 thou hast provided for me. 
 
 AUGUST 14. 
 
 Growth in Godliness compared with the Growth of 
 natural Productions. 
 
 As in nature everything is perceived to be in a visible 
 progress to maturity, so ought it to be in the moral world, 
 and in every human heart. Men should always more and 
 more lay aside that which is foolish, and assume a manly 
 ripeness. 
 
 O ! that I likewise might advance from a childish age to- 
 wards maturity in Christian faith! I observe how nature 
 every morning goes forward in her operations, and with the 
 dew of each night attains to an increased growth. Have I 
 
WITH GOD. 335 
 
 also with each succeeding day made a proportionate advance? 
 Do I emulate nature in her steps ? Are the subjection of my 
 passions and the love of my enemies easier to me now than 
 they were before ? Can I now, while formerly I could only 
 vanquish the grosser vices, subdue likewise the subtle and 
 more hidden failings of my heart ? Grant me, O God, en- 
 largement in thy grace ! And if I see many days pass away 
 without fruit, so let them also pass away without any obstinate 
 transgression of thy law. How refreshing is the rain when 
 all nature languishes ! O ! that I might so experience the 
 efficacy of the divine grace in my heart, and feel the sweet re- 
 vivings of the Holy Spirit ! that I might likewise be as be- 
 neficent to all my brethren, and to all the wretched by whom 
 I am surrounded, and thus raise their drooping spirits through 
 comfort and charity. These are the sentiments of a Chris- 
 tian : he will not be fortunate and happy merely for himself; 
 he divides his joys with others, and is glad only when he 
 participates in the fate of his fellow-creatures. 
 
 But am I not discontented even in the midst of the beau- 
 ties which nature displays to rne, and in the lap of abun- 
 dance ? Do I not murmur, that the summer and its gratifi- 
 cations speedily disappear, and that yet a few months longer 
 and no vestige of it will remain ? How foolish and how cul- 
 pable is such dissatisfaction. And yet in the midst of this short 
 fleeting season, tedium torments me, and dissipations and dis- 
 tractions rob me of the enjoyment of its best hours. No, my 
 soul, make a more pleasing use of these lengthened days, and 
 prepare thyself for winter, through the pious contemplation of 
 nature. Be only assured, that in the circle of mutability, in 
 which thou and all creatures must continually whirl round, a 
 perpetual summer would become to thee at last so customary 
 and so burdensome, that thou wouldst be no longer able to 
 feel its charms. Ponder therefore on^this truth, that man 
 and the seasons too bloom like a flower in the field ; when 
 the wind has passed over it, lo ! it is no longer to be found. 
 But the grace of the Lord endures from eternity to eternity 
 with such as fear him, and his righteousness with their chil- 
 dren's children. 
 
 This grace, then, must be my consolation and delight, amid 
 the transitoriness of the pleasures of summer. And since my 
 life is equally transient, I will devote it to God, in order that, 
 
MORNING COMMUNTNGS 
 
 exalted above all the vicissitudes of fortune, I may find that 
 true felicity which is founded, O Lord, on a reconciliation 
 with thee. Only from this source can I expect permanent 
 and satisfying joys. All else vanishes as the vision of a 
 morning slumber, and leaves care, sorrow, and disappoint- 
 ment behind. 
 
 AUGUST 15 
 
 Happiness the universal Wish, and God's Aid implored for 
 its Attainment. 
 
 THE common wish of all rational creatures at the commence- 
 ment of this day has for its object happiness. However 
 opposite the inclinations of men are usually wont to be, 
 they all agree in this, that each earnestly desires that mis- 
 fortune may keep far from him. And if I examine all the 
 various wishes which have arisen in my soul at the break of 
 the present morning, I find that well-being and felicity are 
 the amount of the favours which I petition from God. But 
 do I choose the means which may be subservient to the ac- 
 complishment of my desire ? I am, it is true, not inactive to 
 forward my success and my prosperity. I work indefatiga- 
 bly ; I strive to procure friends for myself; I toil for wealth ; 
 I take care of my health and repose ; I labour hard to in- 
 crease in knowledge. Yet with all my exertions, I have not 
 been able to obtain that felicity for which my heart so ar- 
 dently longs ; nor have I yet found that tranquillity of soul, 
 without which there is no real happiness on earth. I still 
 wish every day for a more permanent state of fortune, more 
 steadfast joys, and more complete ease, than my friends, my 
 possessions, my health, and my understanding have hitherto 
 sufficed to produce for me. So well do I perceive that these 
 things, notwithstanding that they are most eagerly coveted by 
 the whole world, are yet far from consummating that felicity 
 which is adapted to satisfy the cravings of my immortal 
 spirit. 
 
 O God, thou fountain of happiness, thus long have I 
 already wandered to and fro and sought felicity, and yet I 
 
WITH GOD. 337 
 
 find it not ! Show me then in thy mercy the way that leads 
 to it, and lend me .strength to walk in the same. Convince 
 me, through thy Spirit, that I only then prosper when I listen 
 to thee, when for thy sake I avoid evil, and place my highest 
 joy in adherence to thee. Teach me every day more clearly 
 to see, that in those paths which I have hitherto pursued, 
 there is no happiness, no pleasure, no rest to be found. 
 Every day do I experience that all things in the world are 
 vain and wretched ; and yet I allow myself to be perpetually 
 dazzled by their glare, and seduced by their allurements. O 
 Lord, let thy voice yet prevail in my soul, and the felicity of 
 godliness exercise an irresistible dominion over my heart. 
 Even this day the enticements which the wicked throw out to 
 beguile me into their destructive company, will be numerous 
 around me. Do thou strengthen my belief and my fide- 
 lity, that I may not follow them, but choose the society and 
 the narrow right-hand road of the pious, which, though at 
 first disagreeable and fatiguing, is in its progress and termi- 
 
 " shall ~ 
 
 nation beautiful and delightful. Here I shall find ever 
 that my real happiness requires. And then should the 
 wealth and the idle joys of life be sparingly apportioned to me, 
 I shall obtain other advantages, which will richly indemnify 
 me for the want of these. Now I commence this day in the 
 firm resolution to proceed only in thy ways, O God. With- 
 draw not from me thy support, without which I shall every 
 moment be exposed to the danger of falling or of backsliding. 
 Under thy gracious guidance let me prosecute my journey 
 unobstructed, and arrive at length at the goal of all my wishes 
 and efforts namely, the salvation of my soul. 
 
 
 AUGUST 16. 
 
 Man, unable to glorify God worthily by his Lips, must 
 be the more zealous to do so by his Actions. 
 
 LORD, thou Governor of the whole world, how glorious hast 
 thou made thy name on the earth ! How great and inexpres- 
 sible are the wonders of thy love, of which with all my mean- 
 ness and unworthiness I am even now a witness ! Jehovah, 
 
 z 
 
338 MORNING COMMUNINGS 
 
 great things hast thou executed in me ! I cast myself down 
 in the dust before thee, and humbly venerate thy infinite 
 affection : I praise thy compassion every morning, though it 
 is not to be uttered. No, I cannot describe it : and even had 
 I all the eloquence of angels and of men, I could not worthily 
 celebrate it. But thou desirest riot the reverence of the lips ; 
 in spirit and in truth must thy children worship thee. Ah ! 
 I must take shame to myself, when I consider my own cold- 
 ness, my own want of feeling, my own ungratefulness. Thy 
 goodness is incomprehensible : but have I hitherto employed 
 all the energies of my soul to contemplate it, and have I oc- 
 cupied myself assiduously in meditating upon it ? Thy love 
 is inexpressible : but have I more glorified it through my 
 actions ? Has my conduct tended to thy honour ? Have I 
 directed the talents, the blessings, the time, which thou 
 vouchsafest to me, to thy exaltation ? Ah ! God, how many 
 days have I spent in which I scarcely thought of thee ! How 
 many in which I never praised thee ! Yet numberless allure- 
 ments presented themselves to me which exhorted me to laud 
 thy name. How great is the work of thy hands in all places ! 
 When I regard myself and my own existence, the earth 
 which I inhabit, and the heavens which encompass me, how 
 pressing is the invitation which is made to me to extol thy 
 goodness and thy might ! And what shall I say of that 
 wonder which surpasses all wonders, that for my salvation 
 thou hast given to me thy only-begotten Son? Were I 
 still to remain insensible and ungrateful, the heavens would 
 be struck with consternation at me, and the earth would rise 
 up in vengeance against me. 
 
 May my heart ever be as full of the glory of God, as my 
 lips now overflow in strains of thanksgiving to his name ! 
 Grant, O God, that during my whole life, a cordial feeling 
 of thy boundless love may fill my entire soul, and equally as 
 at present stimulate my breast. But it must also be evident 
 both in my words and my deeds : or how ashamed should I 
 be to praise thy goodness in my devotions, and in my hymns 
 to thank thee. I should be ashamed to acknowledge that in 
 me thy mercies have been exceedingly great. No day must 
 elapse in which I do not think of God, in which I do not 
 admire his love in profound reverence, and rejoice in his 
 grace. Especially must that immutable memorial of his un- 
 
WITH GOD. 339 
 
 speakable love, which the Lord hath given in the redemption 
 of Jesus, prompt me to faith, confidence, and adoration. 
 
 My Lord, my everlasting Benefactor, do thou thyself 
 render my heart inclined and fitted to love thee. Heaven 
 and earth are heralds of thy fame ; make me then, even ine, 
 likewise, thy rational, redeemed creature, a true worshipper 
 and adorer of thy glory. 
 
 And if I, according to the ability which thou to that pur- 
 pose bestowest upon me, pay to thee sincere homage, then 
 let my thanks be pleasing to thee ; and render me even more 
 perfect in them till the time of the future life, when united 
 to the assembly of thy elect I shall better conceive and more 
 worthily exalt thy infinite Majesty, O God, without end. 
 
 AUGUST 17. 
 
 Duty of Watchfulness. 
 
 EVERY new awakening from sleep is a new excitement and 
 remembrance to me to be watchful in spirit ; every new day a 
 new obligation to employ my time with wisdom. I will be 
 mindful of this invitation to gratitude ; I will watch over 
 myself, that sin may not intrude with frightful violence into 
 my mind, and that my time may not pass away without pro- 
 fit. It is a most dangerous state for a man, when he goes 
 forward like a dreamer, though he is in constant risk of 
 being overtaken by the most frightful misery. Must I not 
 at eveiy instant be in expectation of the coming of Jesus ? 
 No hour places me in security from the approach of death ; 
 no station, though it may be the most happy that the world 
 admits, can free me from the consequences that may follow 
 this inevitable change. How necessary it is therefore always 
 to watch : always to be ready for my last day, always to be 
 prepared to exchange earth for heaven ! And how much 
 toil, how much care, how much attention are demanded, if I 
 would attain to this frame of mind. 
 
 Reflect upon this, my soul ! Resolve on the morning of 
 the present day to pass it in redoubled watchfulness and soli- 
 citude. But consider well, likewise, how great is the extent 
 
340 MORNING COMMUNINGS 
 
 of the duties which thou must exercise in this endeavour. 
 Thou must worship God, thy Father, and serve him only. 
 Him thou must love above all things ; and him as the con- 
 stant witness of thy actions, and as the most high Judge, 
 thou must have incessantly before thy eyes. Therefore be 
 cautious in thy words, pure in thy thoughts, and in all thy 
 doings temperate and considerate. Therefore flee all unlaw- 
 ful gratifications, and keep a check upon thy desires. Thy 
 heart must never allow itself to be fascinated with the enjoy- 
 ments of this life, that thou shouldst sacrifice to them alone 
 thy time, thy faculties, thy love. It must rather be thy dis- 
 position to yield up all things back that thou possessest to 
 the Lord, who gave them to thee ; and never to rise against 
 him with murmurings, when it pleases him to take them 
 from thee. In short, thou must so live that thou mayst ex- 
 pect a happy death, and be able to look forward to the 
 appearance of thy Judge with cheerfulness. And in this 
 endeavour thou must never be indolent nor dilatory. For as 
 the period of death is so uncertain, thou subjectest thyself 
 otherwise to the peril of being snatched off in the midst of 
 thy carelessness. Watchfulness must, as well as patience, 
 be a perfect work, and endure till the close of existence. 
 Those only will be crowned, who preserve a good conscience 
 and faith unto the end. 
 
 O Lord, thou who hast awakened me out of the sleep of 
 the body, through the resuscitating beams of thy glorious 
 sun, help me by the light of thy word, that I may also 
 awake from the slumber of my soul. As vigilant as my 
 body is now, for the concerns of this life, so let my soul 
 likewise be roused for the business that appertains to the life 
 hereafter. Thou wilt come, and exact from me an account. 
 Let me by this thought be savingly alarmed, and impelled to 
 delay nothing that may be connected with my duty. Who 
 knows, whether I must not this day render up my account ? 
 Should I be placed as a sleeper and a dreamer before the 
 tribunal of Jesus, alas ! O God, how melancholy would my 
 fate be ! 
 
WITH GOD. 341 
 
 AUGUST 18. 
 Dangers of Life. 
 
 As a man who entrusts himself in a fragile bark to the 
 stormy seas, so is he who enters into the world : on all sides 
 dangers encompass him and menace his quiet, his happiness, 
 and his life; on all sides allurements to sin flow like a tor- 
 rent into his soul. Woe unto him who rushes unprotected 
 into, so perilous a world, and who without foresight, without 
 courage, without preparation, exposes himself to its fury. 
 The world is a place wherein collect together bad examples 
 and corrupted habits. The firmest virtue may, through 
 intercourse with it, be shaken, and the most steadfast brought 
 to the ground. And how much have I in particular to 
 dread, I, who am so weak in goodness, and such a tyro 
 in Christian practice ! How soon will the impulse of de- 
 votion which I now feel in this solitary hour of rising day 
 be chased from my bosom, if I rashly associate myself with 
 the company of the mockers ! How easily will all love 
 for God vanish from my soul, if I abandon myself to the vo- 
 luptuous slavery of sensuality ! How quickly may the emo- 
 tions of pity and fraternal affection be stifled in my heart, if 
 I listen to the discourse of the uncharitable, and observe the 
 conduct of inhuman men. At present I still feel an inclina- 
 tion for righteousness, and a hatred for evil; but how soon 
 may my innocence be lost, if I am relinquished to the in- 
 fluence of the wicked, and to the pliableness of my own 
 temper ! Everywhere I encounter the enchantments of sin, 
 and the worshippers of the world : virtue alone is almost en- 
 tirely forsaken, and has few votaries. 
 
 I cannot, therefore, sufficiently watch over myself, in order 
 that flagitious example may not carry me away likewise. 
 How necessary is it that I should shun the conversation of 
 the vicious world, or at least never enter into it with any 
 other view than to correct it through my edifying behaviour, 
 and through wholesome exhortation ! I ought to be ashamed 
 to speak the language of pride and presumption, when I 
 should only utter expressions of humility. I ought to be 
 ashamed to resemble the devil in my actions, when I bear 
 
 
342 MORNING COMMUNINGS 
 
 about with me an angel's image. I ought to be ashamed to 
 haunt the courts of the impious, when the celestial spirits 
 strive for my friendship. I ought to be ashamed of the 
 applause of the earth, when the approbation of heaven should 
 be the object of my wishes, and my efforts. 
 
 Exert thyself, my soul, for this applause, for this honour, 
 for those examples, which heaven exhibits. Strengthen thy- 
 self in thy doings, through the pattern of the blessed spirits, 
 who after having, under all temptations, clung fast to recti- 
 tude, now and evermore enjoy the reward of their constancy 
 and fortitude. But especially let the earthly demeanour of 
 thy Jesus fortify and confirm thee. How spotless did he 
 continue amid all trials and enticements ! so little did he per- 
 mit himself to be borne down by the impetuous corruption of 
 the times, that he even gained, through his holy tenor of 
 life, new converts to virtue and piety, and made the might of 
 iniquity totter. Be of one mind with Jesus : flee the world, 
 and keep thy conscience untainted. Preserve constantly be- 
 fore thy eyes, at the view of every carnal seduction, that 
 heaven towards which thou shouldst hasten, according to 
 which thou oughtest to form thyself, and to which thou shalt 
 attain through changeless love and fidelity. 
 
 AUGUST 19. 
 
 The Promises of God stable and sure. 
 
 MY destiny rests in the best and most faithful hands, since T 
 have resigned it to the Lord, who has the destinies as well as 
 the hearts of all men in his power, and directs them accord- 
 ing to his wise counsel. He knows and sees all my necessi- 
 ties, and knows besides the means through which they may 
 be relieved. To him nothing is unknown that can tend 
 either to the preservation or to the destruction of my life. 
 And in both cases he possesses complete sway either to ward 
 off the latter or to grant the former. Nothing can limit his 
 dominion : he speaks, and it is done ; he commands, and his 
 decree stands immovable ; he changes times and hours ; 
 raises up kings, and throws them down again from their seat 
 
WITH GOD. 343 
 
 of empire. In confidence in this omnipotence and in this 
 wisdom I may, under all circumstances, expect the best pos- 
 sible issue, and shall be able to surmount all trials : for the 
 Lord, in whom I trust, is infinitely good. He loves me far 
 more tenderly than a father can love his favourite child. 
 And though he has not the slightest advantage from my 
 happiness, he has yet an infinite desire to render me happy. 
 This conviction is already quite sufficient to strengthen me 
 in the hope that God will not forsake me ; but when I think, 
 at the same time, that he has given me the most precious 
 promises that his goodness shall be experienced by those who 
 turn to him with affiance; then do I fully perceive that 
 every doubt as to the compassion and fatherly love of the 
 Deity is a most heinous sin. The instances of so many holy 
 men who have been consoled in their sorrows, and rescued 
 out of their need and their perils, satisfy me that God's asser- 
 tions stand firmer than heaven and earth. Inestimable com- 
 fort lies, moreover, in the assurance that the love and the 
 faithfulness of God is liable to no alteration ; that God has 
 not only the ability but also the will to accomplish what he 
 has declared. He remains always inclined to do me good 
 when I do not myself erect obstacles to his beneficence. All 
 things conspire to convince me that God is my aid, and that 
 I dare, with full comfort, to put my hope in the Lord who 
 has made heaven and earth. 
 
 I lift up to thee, O Lord of heaven and earth, this morn- 
 ing, my hands and my heart. From thee I to-day expect, 
 with the artless reliance of a child, help and support. As 
 I am ignorant what fate thou hast this day decreed to me, 
 I can do nothing more soothing to my mind than to abandon 
 to thee my entire doom, in joyful anticipation of thy benig- 
 nant care. I cannot become unhappy if thou hast pity upon 
 me ; and thou wilt have pity upon me if I follow thy way 
 and devote myself to thee with a confiding spirit. I will do 
 both with sincerity, and retain thee continually in my view. 
 Fulfil then in me thy promises, and let me find the assistance 
 which I hope for and require. How does the belief, which 
 I owe to my Saviour, cheer my soul : the belief that thou 
 nearest when the wretched sigh and implore thy rescue, that 
 even through afflictions thou blessest thy children and lead- 
 est them through the roughest paths to heaven, and that 
 
344 MORNING COMMUNINGS 
 
 thou wilt in thy own good time make to shine forth in bright- 
 ness the night of our earthly destinies 
 
 AUGUST 20. 
 
 Proofs of God's Goodness to ourselves. 
 
 How elevated, how comforted do I feel myself when I look 
 back upon the vicissitudes of my life, upon the paths in 
 which the Lord hath guided me, upon the dangers out of 
 which his omnipotence hath rescued me, and upon the joys 
 which his goodness hath imparted to me ! Every moment 
 of my existence deserves its own peculiar song of praise ! 
 Yet why speak I of life ? The step out of my original no- 
 thing into being deserves eternal exaltation. For who could 
 have obliged God to draw me forth out of my nonentity ? It 
 is all pure benevolence. Do I carry my researches back 
 into my childhood ? how numberless are the marks of the 
 Divine goodness which there meet my eyes ! 
 
 With a body of the weakest texture, and amid a thousand 
 risks and perils, which the fondest vigilance could not have 
 arrested or averted, I happily vanquished all the evils which 
 assailed the spark of lately-gifted animation, and grew up as 
 doth a flourishing plant. And when, afterwards, the levity 
 and the folly of youth exposed me to so many dangers, still 
 did the almighty power of God protect me, still did his pa- 
 rental attachment preserve me, still did his providence watch 
 over my existence. But yet far greater than the benefits en- 
 joyed by my corporeal part are the graces which he allows 
 my soul to experience ! How many cares does he take away 
 from my heart ! How much bitterness is sweetened through 
 his comfort ! How many tears are wiped from my cheeks ! 
 And, what is yet infinitely more essential, how many sins are 
 daily forgiven to me ! How shall I recompense the Lord for 
 the many benefits which he bestows upon me ? 
 
 My entire inability, both in soul and body, tells me that it- 
 is impossible to remunerate the blessings of God. But so 
 much the more is it my duty, O Lord, incessantly to praise 
 thee for thy bounty, to place my whole trust in thee, and to 
 
WITH GOD. 345 
 
 dedicate to thee both my body and my soul. As often, there- 
 fore, as I call to mind thy blessings, let me also remember my 
 own obligations. I ought continually to glorify thee, my 
 Benefactor, through my life. I ought so to live as the infi- 
 nite value of thy evidences of grace deserves, in unalterable 
 love to thee, and in firm reliance on thy goodness. To this 
 sacred conduct let even this morning on which thou permittest 
 me again to wake to life incite me ; and let every favour 
 which thou shalt this day vouchsafe to me, prove a new exhor- 
 tation to me to serve thee, and to fear thee, and to trust in 
 thy goodness. Thus shall I receive fresh proofs of thy mu- 
 nificent love, and be able for ever to comfort myself with thy 
 grace. 
 
 AUGUST 21. 
 
 The Christian at the Feet of his Redeemer. 
 
 REDEEMER ! I come to thee : I sit down at thy feet to be in- 
 structed and quickened by thee. Thou attractest me to thee 
 by thy grace : I will listen to none but thee ; I will believe 
 in none but thee ; for thy word is the word of my Goa ; thy 
 doctrine is not thy own, but the doctrine of him that sent 
 thee. Only speak, therefore ; for thy servant heareth thee. 
 Thou art he, O Lord, whom I worship : my heart loves thee 
 alone ; only after thee does it long ; only after thee does it 
 wish to be able to fashion itself. Exalted Teacher, thou 
 vouchsafest to me the high happiness of being strengthened 
 and encouraged through thy example, comforted through thy 
 promises, redeemed through thy love. I am forced to adore in 
 silence, and to regard thy example with deepest admiration. 
 
 Thou art of a gentle mind : O ! how necessary is this vir- 
 tue to me. How soon are my passions in disorder ! My 
 vindictive, implacable heart evinces on every occasion its un- 
 amiable feelings ; the smallest trifle can inflame me, the 
 slightest injury can ruffle my composure. Teach me, mild, 
 divine Philanthropist, thy courteous humanity, of which on 
 earth thou gavest so many proofs. Take my revengeful heart 
 from me, and grant me a soft conciliatory spirit, that willingly 
 
346 MORNING COMMUN1NGS 
 
 forgives and blesses its enemy. Thou art humble I am de- 
 voted to pride : do thou, therefore, O unassuming Jesus, con- 
 quer my self-love. Discover to me my guilt, my misery, my 
 abjectness, and the sinful condition of my heart, which renders 
 me an abomination to God. 
 
 Thou promisest to me, adorable Redeemer, that with such 
 sentiments I shall find peace for my soul. I, wretch that I 
 am, have hitherto sought it in the gratification of my crimi- 
 nal desires, and in the insane fancies of my haughty imagi- 
 nation. But instead of the peace which I sought, I found 
 always new causes for sorrow, for disquiet, and for discon- 
 tentment ; I now perceive my folly, and lend an ear to the 
 voice that invites me to repose. O ! how ineffable is the 
 grace which thou deignest to show me ! Lord, I throw my- 
 self into the arms of thy compassion, and resign myself now 
 and for ever to thy boundless mercy. I should deserve to be 
 made an offering to thy avenging righteousness. But spare 
 me, O ! compassionate Jesus ; and withdraw not from me, in 
 these circumstances, thy favour. I am prepared for all. To 
 thee will I henceforward live, to thee will I die. Jesus, thou 
 art my love and my life. 
 
 Happy day which awakens me to such sentiments ! Amid 
 the sweetest sensations of tranquillity, of peace, and of joy, 
 will this day flow along, if I spend my life, formed through 
 thy doctrine, and quickened through thy hope. And as on 
 this my whole felicity depends, O ! vouchsafe to me this grace, 
 which must both in life and in death be my consolation. Grant 
 me a submissive soul, resigned wholly to thy will, and a cha- 
 ritable heart, exercising kindness both to friends and foes. 
 Thus shall I pass my days in mental ease, and at length at- 
 tain to that realm of gentleness and love, to which, through 
 thy redemption, thou hast destined me. 
 
 AUGUST 22. 
 
 Submission to the Will of God. 
 
 IF the choice were left free to me this morning to obtain by 
 my entreaties whatever my heart may desire, this would be the 
 
WITH GOD. 347 
 
 chief tenor of my prayer : " O my Father, thou hast per- 
 mitted me to behold again another morning, let it not be, I 
 implore thee, the last of my life. Spare me those bitter se- 
 parations which tear me from all that I hold dearest in the 
 world. Spare me the grief of being poor and needy ; and 
 place me not under the sad necessity of begging my bread, 
 or taking refuge in the aid of public charity. Spare me 
 those agonies under which many thousands wish for the re- 
 lease of death; and the mutilation of my body, which would 
 rob me of my strength and happiness." These petitions, re- 
 garded in themselves, contain nothing culpable; but they 
 would become culpable, if I should seek to extort, as it were, 
 a compliance with them from God, or should manifest impa- 
 tience if it did not please him to fulfil them. Far be it from 
 me therefore to murmur and to resist, when the Almighty 
 deems it good to recall me from the world, to snatch away from 
 me my friends, or to place me in needy and lamentable cir- 
 cumstances : even then will I obey, even then submit myself 
 to his decrees, and say with Jesus : " Shall I not drink the cup 
 which my Father has given to me ? " 
 
 Truly this is a hard trial for so weak a being as I am ; but 
 I am nevertheless bound, as a subject of the world's great 
 Ruler, to do his pleasure. His is the dominion, his is the 
 power over all that there is on earth : and if I reflect that 
 this dominion is a gentle dominion, and this power a power 
 blended with the tenderest affection, I shall not feel cause to 
 repent my resignation to God's will. Everything is good 
 which my wise and good God decrees to me. If he does 
 not always give me that w r hich is agreeable to me, he gives 
 me, however, that which is salutary : how can I therefore 
 do otherwise than honour his ordinances ? Should it not please 
 him to let me become aged and gray-headed in this world ; 
 he will at least in my short lifetime grant me sufficient proofs 
 of his love to render my departure easy. Should it please 
 him to deprive me of that which I consider the felicity of 
 my life ; he will then vouchsafe to me other blessings well 
 worthy of my love and my joy. Should it please him to 
 reduce me to poverty ; who knows what advantageous views 
 he hence purposes to further in my behalf? Should it please 
 him to deprive me of my bodily health ; if he only preserves 
 the health of my soul, and refuse me not his aid in my infir- 
 
348 MORNING COMMUNNIGS 
 
 mities, then will I joyfully yield to his dispensation ; for to 
 me, a short-sighted mortal, it is not conceded to fathom the 
 counsels of God. Though I may not therefore see how his 
 governance can conduce to my peace in particular instances, 
 I will not the less believe that it does so ; for happy are they 
 who see not and yet believe. 
 
 Bring me, O God, through thy Spirit to this blessed frame 
 of mind. Grant me thy Spirit, when obedience, silence, and 
 patience are requisite. Let me give to others an example of 
 composure, and evince through my whole conduct how satis- 
 fied, how tranquil, how invincible a Christian is who sub- 
 mits himself to thy will. 
 
 AUGUST 23. 
 
 The most secret Whispers of Prayer reach God, to whom 
 our Frame of Mind is accurately known. 
 
 LORD, thou sittest on the throne of thy glory, and reignest 
 to eternity. How many prayers and supplications have 
 ascended to thee, since the world first stood, without the 
 least sigh being ever forgotten by thee ! How numerous are 
 the petitions which this morning are sent up to thee, without 
 even a single thought escaping thy observation ! O ! how 
 am I pleased and cheered by this idea ! I dare also hope 
 that my matinal devotion will be heard by thee ; that at thy 
 right hand sitteth my exalted Redeemer, who is always 
 mindful of me, and intercedes with thee for me, when I en- 
 treat thy blessing and thy grace. But yet a certain sorrow- 
 fulness seizes my soul even under this conviction. Conso- 
 latory as is the thought that thou, O Lord, lookest down 
 upon me, and givest heed to my desires, I am nevertheless 
 troubled when I recollect that thou markest also the disposi- 
 tion of mind in which I address thee, my want of reverence 
 and ardour, the impurity of my heart, and the foolish wishes 
 which fill and influence this heart. Therefore I do humble 
 myself before thee, and confess to thee with deep abashment 
 that my oul is not yet cleansed from sinful inclinations and 
 sensual lust. 
 
WITH GOD. 349 
 
 In the conscious feeling of my imperfection I thank thee, 
 with strong emotion, that thou yet grantest to me time to 
 effect my amendment, and to become worthy of thy grace, 
 that with every new day of my life thou strengthenest, 
 through new proofs of thy goodness, my heart, in its love 
 towards thee, and animatest my zeal for the performance of 
 Christian duties ; that through the gospel of thy Son thou 
 enlightenest my Spirit, and suppliest my mind with force to 
 subdue evil by the weapons of grace. O ! how can I yet 
 longer be thy ungrateful child, yet longer continue wilfully 
 undeserving of such mercies ! Or how can I tranquillize 
 myself with the thought that I have still accomplished some 
 of thy commandments, that I am not so light-minded, so 
 unconscientious, and so fickle as many of my brethren ? 
 Not that I have already laid hold of it, or am already per- 
 fect ; but I yet strain after that great prize of perfection, can 
 I by any means obtain it. 
 
 If I am only in favour with thee, if I only rescue my 
 soul, if I only arrive through thy mercy to the possession of 
 eternal life, then can I endure all that is painful in this world, 
 and consider all my other wishes fulfilled. My determina- 
 tion is unchangeable : I will adhere to thee, O God, so long 
 as I live. As well in the days of prosperity as in those of 
 anguish shalt thou be my confidence. Forsake me not, O 
 God of my salvation. Hearken to this prayer ; hearken to 
 the sighs of all thy children. So many of the destitute, so 
 many of the poor and the miserable, so many of the sick 
 and dying will this morning cry to thee : let no sigh re- 
 main unheard : have compassion upon all men ! In thee I 
 hope, in thee do I put my trust. 
 
 AUGUST 24. 
 
 The different Ages of Man. 
 
 MELANCHOLY indeed is the picture which rny own experi- 
 ence-presents to me of human life. If I proceed from the 
 first years of my existence to the furthest stretch of vital 
 duration, how many traces of vanity and of misery shall I 
 
350 MORNINQ COMMUNINGS 
 
 everywhere encounter ! What is man, when he enters into 
 the light of the world ? A pitiable worm, that is not even 
 aware of its own state. His first appearance on this scene 
 of trial is encompassed with dangers ; and if he even issues 
 happily from the womb of his mother, he yet immediately 
 proclaims by his wailings that he is born to suffering and 
 pain ; and in this is he, as it were, a prophet of all the vexa- 
 tious events which shall accompany him through the whole 
 series of his fleeting years. He has not the slightest power 
 to assist himself; but must be carried, fed, and preserved by 
 others. To how many perils is he exposed before he can 
 regulate either his body or his soul ! and when this comes 
 within his ability, then does he instantly begin to transgress. 
 The corruption of his heart becomes but too visible, and dis- 
 plays itself in a thousand follies and foibles. So grows up 
 man amidst afflictions and sorrows, and then, amid number- 
 less cares and troubles, reaches the highest summit of age, 
 while, by his perversity and shortness of sight, he constantly 
 labours to render the burdens of life still more galling. To 
 how many futile idols does he sacrifice himself, and how 
 little is he anxious to consecrate the bloom of his years to his 
 Creator. His passions and sinful appetites wax daily stronger: 
 he is the slave of inclinations which he cannot oppose, and 
 which always remove him to a greater distance from God. 
 At one time anger infuriates him ; at another illicit passion 
 seduces him ; now indolence enervates, now voluptuousness 
 degrades him ; then, again, all combining together, they 
 overwhelm him, distract his agonized conscience, render this 
 world a hell, and his Creator his enemy. His years increase 
 apace, but not so his wisdom ; and in his carelessness he re- 
 flects not that each hour brings him nearer to his end. He 
 reaches his manhood. But this change also is accompanied 
 with many a woe, many a solicitude, many a torment. Now 
 fear and hope assail him ; now strife and discord ; now po- 
 verty and want ; now sickness and pain. Finally, man 
 climbs to the last pinnacle of his years. But this station is 
 nearly the most wretched and the most tortured of all ; the 
 eye is dark, the ear deaf, the taste dull, the hand tremulous, 
 and the whole frame powerless. Sleepless nights, anxiety for 
 the support of his frail body, melancholy thoughts, and cor- 
 poreal pain, accompany man to the grave, and by this he is 
 
WITH GOD. 351 
 
 at last swallowed up : this is the last scene of his earthly 
 existence. 
 
 A great part of this misery I have already experienced. 
 Arid how much still awaits me? Perhaps the present day 
 will again afford me sad proofs of the grievousness of exist- 
 ence. But let me meet them with courage and confidence, 
 and employ them to the salvation of my soul. I shall pros- 
 perously surmount all this day's sufferings, and those of all 
 future ones, if I keep God before my eyes and in my heart, 
 and do not augment my calamities by my sins. O God, I re- 
 commend myself, for this day and for my whole life to come, 
 to thy guidance, sanctification, and longsuffering goodness. 
 Without thee I cannot be happy ; I can, as a sinner, have 
 no hope of immortality. Have compassion upon me. I 
 am even as a man deserving of thy pity, but yet more so as 
 a sinner. What should I be without thee and thy compas- 
 sion? 
 
 AUGUST 25. 
 
 Desire to become worthy of God's Love and Mercy. 
 
 ALL-ADORABLE Being ! Thou art the most tender and most 
 beneficent, the truest and wisest friend that I have in the 
 world. Thou hast displayed to me infinitely more love than 
 I could have shown to myself; more love than I can expect 
 from the world ; more love than, considering the sinfulness 
 of my heart and my own unworthiness, I dare either antici- 
 pate or pray for. How highly hast thou loved me, how rich 
 hast thou made me through thy affection ! O ! that I might 
 be more worthy of this infinite love than, according to the 
 testimony of my own conscience, I really am. Well do I 
 feel and know in this devotional hour what I owe to thee 
 and to thy parent tenderness ; but the baubles of this earthly 
 life weaken my spiritual emotions and mislead me into un- 
 thankfulness ; for how often does my dissatisfied soul forget 
 how much good thou hast done to it; how often does it mur- 
 mur, when it ought to praise thee and publish thy goodness ! 
 ^ God, how deeply, how deeply does a heart so void of love 
 
352 MORNING COMMCJN1NGS 
 
 debase me ! And how incapable am I, through my own 
 power, of exalting myself to more becoming sentiments ! I 
 wish, indeed, and strive to render my heart better, and to in- 
 crease my little claim to thy esteem ; but I still for ever feel 
 the burden of my sins under which my affections, when they 
 would soar to thee, sink to the earth. Therefore be thou 
 gracious to me, O my God, and release me from perdition 
 through the workings of thy Spirit. Inflame my cold heart, 
 that it may be penetrated by the tire of thy love, and make 
 thee the object of its wishes, its adoration, and its efforts. 
 Impress profoundly on my mind the remembrance of that 
 love which Christ has evinced towards me, in redeeming me 
 by his blood. And when my love would cool, O ! then let 
 it be again warmed by the spectacle of the suffering and 
 dying Jesus, and by the prospect of that heavenly kingdom, 
 in which thou wilt reward eternally thy faithful worshippers. 
 This day must become that happy epoch of my life, at 
 which I begin to love thee with ardour and zeal, and to be 
 devoted to thee with redoubled fidelity ! Amid what sweet 
 sensations will my days then glide along their course ! How 
 light through this love will all things prove to me, which I 
 may still have here to suffer ! How little trouble will it then 
 cost me to renounce every other allurement for this love, to 
 eschew sin, to reject the vanities of this world, and to make 
 election of heaven, that boundless theatre of felicity and love. 
 
 AUGUST 26. 
 
 'Morning Meditations for the Soul. 
 
 THIS new day of life is an incitement and obligation to thee, 
 my soul, maturely and conscientiously to reflect in silent so- 
 litude upon thy great destination, and the purpose of thy 
 existence here. Go not again unprepared, nor with rash and 
 careless boldness into the world ; but ponder well how dan- 
 gerous the world's allurements may yet be to thy heart, if 
 thou shouldst heedlessly abandon thyself to them. If the 
 fear of God bear thee not company, if the-recollection of his 
 omnipresence be not always near thee, then art thou lost. 
 
WITH GOD. 353 
 
 This is the best time to think of the duties which thou must 
 retain in view amid the distractions of this life. 
 
 Let thy thoughts be occupied with the greatest changes 
 which nature and God's government produce, but especially 
 with the perfections of thy Maker. Think of the infinite 
 compass of the divine intelligence, which knows each crea- 
 ture, and understands its inmost wish. This will awaken 
 within thee a holy dread of God's high majesty, and make 
 thee tremble at the name of sin. Remember his universal 
 presence; for this may soothe and comfort thee, since it offers 
 God to thy notice as thy friend and thy protector. Regard 
 his endless goodness : our God is love ; and all nature is 
 filled with the gifts of his bountiful beneficence. Call to 
 mind the particular instances of his rescue and defence, with 
 which thy life so plenteously teems. Barest thou pretend to 
 assert that thou hast deserved them ? Recollect how often 
 God has loaded thee with benefits, which thy soul conceived 
 not, which thy heart had never ventured to expect. Com- 
 pute the follies and the sins both of thyself and of mankind 
 in general, and wonder at the Almighty's patience and in- 
 dulgence. Recount thy own transgressions, and with sin- 
 cerity repent them. And next let the contemplation of the 
 love of Jesus completely occupy thy heart. Admire the ex- 
 traordinary humiliation through which he became man, and 
 resolved to suffer and endure the death of the agonizing 
 cross. How wondrous, how divine, how far above all lan- 
 guage is this love ! Follow him from the cross down to the 
 grave : follow him through the realms of the dead : gaze 
 upon him in the glory of his resurrection : regard him in the 
 brightness of his exaltation, and in the boundless power of 
 his dominion. Look, lastly, into thy own self, and see how 
 corrupted, how unholy thou art, and thence learn to know 
 the value of the divine grace. 
 
 Yes, I am determined : with these thoughts will I quit my 
 privacy, and reunite myself to the world in that social rela- 
 tion to which God, in his wise providence, bus ordained me. 
 These thoughts shall remain present with me during the entire 
 day ; and I will exert my utmost care that they may, by no 
 digressions of business or of pleasure, be either suppressed or 
 enfeebled. I will therefore lose sight of none of the duties 
 which my earthly profession demands from me. Thus shall 
 
 2 \ 
 
354 MORNING COMMUNINGS 
 
 I be able to promise to myself the blessing of God, and thus 
 eari I hope in all circumstances to live tranquilly and con- 
 tentedly . 
 
 AUGUST 27. 
 
 God All in All. 
 
 THIS day do 1 elevate my heart to thee, O God, my soul's 
 comfort, arid my portion in eternity ! To be united and re- 
 conciled with thee, produces real happiness and pure joy : for 
 with thee is life : thou art alone the true light. He that strays 
 from thee, hastens to destruction; he that abandons thee is 
 lost; he that loves thee not, loves death. Blessed is the 
 Christian, who lives always under thy charge, in thy grace, 
 and in amity with thee ! Thou art the best teacher, the surest 
 guide, the most faithful protector, and the wisest counsellor. 
 Men with their wisdom and strength, the earth with its wealth 
 and power, the world with its joys, heaven with its bliss, what 
 are they without thee, what are they for him who possesses 
 thee, arid in thee everything? Riches, pleasure, honour, 
 what are ye? sources of momentary gratification, but also of 
 long-continued misery. Your service is slavery, your entice- 
 ments are destruction, and your recompense is damnation. 
 It is true, that to pay you tribute is called wisdom by the 
 world ; to be favoured by you is esteemed happiness. Your 
 laws prevail on the earth, and everything is in vassalage to 
 your charms ; and I should be so too, if through thy revela- 
 tion, and through thy Son. O my heavenly Father, I knew 
 not better treasures ! I also should serve sensuality like a 
 bondsman, if I were not assured that such delights are laid 
 up for me in eternity as far exceed all that the earth can 
 boast of. 
 
 Death, judgment, eternity ; these are the frightful but ex- 
 alting the terrible but salutary objects on which I cannot 
 reflect too much. Here it will render me wise and hereafter 
 happy, if I preserve them continually in my recollection. 
 Eternally be thou praised by me, merciful Jesus, through 
 whom these contemplations have been stripped of the dread 
 fulness which my sinful condition discovered to me in them. 
 
WITH GOD. 355 
 
 Praised be thou that I am not doomed to live or die in uncer- 
 tainty ; I know the destination of my life and the purpose of 
 my death ; but would that I might always act in conformity 
 to this knowledge ! Lord of my life, teach me yet, mindful 
 of my immortality, the wisdom to aspire to that which is on 
 high ; that I may be to-day as industrious for heaven as I 
 shall perhaps be for the concerns of this world ; and that my 
 future happiness in eternity may be as close to my heart as 
 my temporal prosperity. Grant me the grace to dwell in the 
 midst of the world unspotted, and in the midst of worldly- 
 living men to remain heavenly-minded. Only do thou always 
 vouchsafe to me, benignant Father, thy superintendence and 
 the government of thy Spirit, that I may not decline from 
 thee, nor lose sight of my duties. 
 
 In this manner I may enter upon this day without disquiet. 
 If I have but thee for my friend, what have I to apprehend ! 
 If thou shelterest me, what can harm me ? If thou guidest 
 me, how can I err from my way? My life, my soul, my 
 happiness, are in thy hands ; appoint to me what pleaseth 
 thee. In this or in the other world, in good fortune or in 
 bad, in life or in death, I am thine; and thou, my God, art 
 mine 
 
 AUGUST 28. 
 Memorials of Decay and Death. 
 
 IN how lively a manner does everything that surrounds me 
 remind me of the common lot of mankind mortality ! 
 Though I should rejoice in the possession of the firmest 
 health ; though I should feel undiminished vigour of body ; 
 though I knew not either pain or sickness; yet could I not 
 flee from the thought of death : for every hoary elder lean- 
 ing on his staff; every look which I cast on the graves of 
 them that are fallen asleep ; each diseased wretch whose sighs 
 I hear; every pallid visage, the result of blanching sickness; 
 yea, even every withered flower, proclaim to me the perish- 
 able condition of our terrestrial nature. Therefore will I not 
 live carelessly. I am not indeed one of those unfortunate 
 
356 MORNING COMMUNINGS 
 
 beings who behold the present morning on the bed of agony, 
 with tears and groans. I can welcome its approach with 
 cheerfulness, and raise my countenance smiling to heaven. 
 O ! what a favour is this which I receive from thee, my 
 Father ! How can I be sufficiently thankful to thee for such 
 a peculiar instance of thy goodness? But am I, on this ac- 
 count, secure from death ? No ; even when I feel myself 
 full of life arid sound in constitution, even then I am hasten- 
 ing forward, without respite, to my dissolution ; for how un- 
 steady is my health, how delusive my hilarity, and how swift 
 in decay are the blossom and beauty of my body ! Yes, so* it 
 is : the vanity of human things is visible even in my own 
 person. I experience every day how uncertain my bodily 
 health is. The older I grow the more do my weaknesses ac- 
 cumulate. I am no longer so full of vigour, so blooming, so 
 tranquil, and of such lively faculties as I was a few years ago. 
 New symptoms, to which I have been hitherto a stranger, 
 and which make me sensible of the approaching ruin of my 
 dwelling of the flesh, come daily upon me. I tremble already 
 as I anticipate, in thought, the numerous maladies which de- 
 molish both health and life. And which of them is reserved 
 for me ? I ask the question in vain. Uncertain, however, 
 as I am, in regard to this one point, I may still easily con- 
 vince myself that sooner or later my health will be quite cut 
 down, and that also to me the saying will be applicable : 
 " He bloomed like a flower in the field ; but the wind hath 
 passed over him, and he is no longer there." 
 
 These thoughts press upon me as I contemplate my body. 
 As often as I regard it, I see a building threatened with over- 
 throw, and a flower which soon fades. How can I, therefore, 
 presume upon either my health, my strength, or my cheer- 
 fulness of mind ? How can I be so impatient under the in- 
 firmities which are inseparable from my mortal frame ? How 
 can I think so little about death, of which my corporeal state 
 so impressively reminds me? How can I be so indifferent 
 to the safety of my soul, the perfections of which alone can 
 indemnify me for every evil ? No ; this must be my chief so- 
 licitude, that among the numerous shocks that my bodily 
 health receives, I may maintain the healthfulness of my 
 soul. Then may my body continue weak and fragile ; I shall 
 find in my immortal part advantages that will suffice to 
 
WITH GOD. 357 
 
 afford me quiet and consolation under all the imperfections of 
 my corporeal one. 
 
 AUGUST 29. 
 
 Consolation of living under the Government of God. 
 
 WHAT would become of my heart, if I dared not to rely in 
 full confidence on Him who can protect me by his omnipo- 
 tent arm, and guide me to eternal salvation to the felicity 
 of heaven ; if I dared not, in filial security and in filial love, 
 name thee, thou Lord of the universe, as my Father ; if I 
 had not thy promise, in which thou sayest I will neither for- 
 sake thee nor forget thee? Let what storms there will 
 arise ; let what darkness there will encompass me, thou art 
 still my God. I call to thee, and then the storms abate, 
 the darkness vanishes. When I find myself disappointed in 
 my hopes by the world, when my friends abandon me, and 
 my trust in men bitterly deceives me, then I am cheered by 
 the belief that thou art my God, my never delusive reliance, 
 my rock, and my inheritance. What have I therefore to 
 fear ? Can the Almighty be vanquished ? Can man resist 
 thy all-ruling power ? 
 
 Thou art my God : each of the seraphim boasts of this, 
 that thou art his God : and I also boast of the same with 
 joyful heart. My God, my renown, my salvation ! others 
 may vaunt of what they will ; others may embolden them- 
 selves with earthly things ; others may set their trust on 
 riches, and numerous friends and patrons. I renounce all 
 that is mundane, and exult only in rny God. Though death 
 should take away from me every other support, and tear 
 from me that which I most love, I should still retain in my 
 God an invariable property. This connexion would continue 
 firm when all other connexions were severed. When all 
 human objects perish for ever, I shall relinquish them with 
 joy, and depart from the world with the triumphant words : 
 Thou art my God, the rock on which I trust. Let me re- 
 gard the extent of my happiness : I have all that is worthy 
 of possession, for thou art my God. 
 
358 MORNING COMMUNINGS 
 
 In this faith I can expect, during the progress of my 
 existence, nothing but welfare and blessing. What can be 
 wanting to my real happiness, if thou art my Father, my de- 
 fender, the guide of my life? In thee will be fulfilled all the 
 wishes which, at the dawn of this day, arise in my bosom. 
 All-sufficient, everlasting God, be for ever my friend and my 
 protector. Cast me not from thy presence, though by my 
 sins I merit thy displeasure. Enter not into judgment with 
 thy feeble child ! Let me, in all circumstances, feel the in- 
 fluence of thy grace, and vouchsafe to me the blessing which 
 I require both in time and in eternity. I sanctify myself to 
 thee ; I vow to thee, this morning, eternally to be thine 
 Be thou my God and my help for ever and ever. 
 
 AUGUST 30. 
 
 Glory in having the Lord for our God. 
 
 I WILL disquiet myself about nothing, since I know that the 
 counsel of my God is so wise and gracious. I will no 
 longer blame the government of the Deity, which I can 
 neither comprehend nor profoundly explore ; no longer dis- 
 turb myself by empty and useless cares. I will not com- 
 plain, when my wishes remain unsatisfied, since even this 
 denial may advance my happiness. I will resign myself to 
 the will of the Lord, whose goodness is so great and so un- 
 changeable ! How fortunate am I that my defender, my 
 supporter, my provider, is the Almighty himself. Granting 
 that some calamities occur to me; wherefore shall these 
 render me sad, since they are appointed to me by the wisest 
 and best of beings. Truly nothing greater can be conceived 
 than to exist under the superintendence of the living God. 
 As little as a faithfully disposed father can render his own 
 child unhappy, so little can God do so. Moreover as a 
 father has compassion on his offspring, so has the Lord 
 compassion on them that fear him. 
 
 I find numberless indications of the divine goodness, wis- 
 dom, and universal power, in the government of the world : 
 how should I not then lift up my heart full of hope and affi- 
 
WITH GOD. 359 
 
 ance to heaven ? Why should I wring my hands in despair, 
 as if there existed no God ? I am a Christian ; my soul 
 feels love and confidence in him whose goodness and wisdom 
 nature proclaims to me. All fear is dispelled, when I be- 
 think me, that God himself is near to me even in the most 
 hidden corner. I am solitary, and God is with me. I walk 
 alone, and God accompanies me. I speak, I think, I am 
 silent ; and behold, God knows all my actions. Does an 
 affliction occur to me ; I make my lamentation to the Lord. 
 Do I enjoy a gratification ; I thank my heavenly Father for 
 it. Do I weep ; my tears are numbered. Do I sigh in 
 secret ; it is the Lord who hears my sighs. Am I exposed 
 to countless dangers ; it is the Lord who extricates me from 
 them. Are all my friends torn from me ; God always re- 
 mains my best and most proved friend. Shall I at last die ; 
 the God who has done so much good in life will be gracious 
 to me even in death. 
 
 With such agreeable hopes as the belief of an omnipotent 
 Creator of heaven and earth inspires me with, I cannot 
 otherwise than with tranquillity and resolution encounter all 
 my destinies. I do not indeed know beforehand what events 
 will this day happen to me ; but this much I know, and that 
 most certainly, that even this day will not be void of the 
 proofs of God's goodness. These many days have I already 
 lived, all of which have been signalized by beneficence and 
 grace ; what else can I expect for the residue of my time ? 
 Lord, do thou only increase faith in my heart. Annihilate 
 always more and more those cares, and that mistrust, which 
 occasionally spring up in my breast. Under all circum- 
 stances let me keep thy wisdom arid thy fatherly goodness be- 
 fore my eyes and in my heart, and assiduously watch over 
 myself that I may not offend thee through my sins. With 
 this disposition of mind I may cherish the consoling hope 
 that thou lookest upon me with favour, and wilt this day 
 crown me with new blessings. I commend myself to thy 
 guidance and to thy grace. Be my God and my helper ! 
 I will trust in thee and hold thee for my strength. Preserve 
 to me these sentiments, when thou at any time concealest thy 
 countenance from me. Then also let me hope in thee, and 
 follow confidently the course which thou commandest me to 
 pursue, even though it should appear rough and unpleasant 
 to me. The end will be a solace to all my woes. 
 
360 MORNING COMMUNINQS 
 
 AUGUST 31. 
 
 Time and Judgment. 
 
 How rapidly does my life glide away ! Already another 
 month is again sunk in the sea of oblivion. This is the com- 
 mon lot of all the days of man. One day chaseth another, 
 one month yieldeth his place to the next. And this perpe- 
 tual fluctuation will continue till at last there shall be no 
 more time. However distant this final epoch may be in re- 
 gard to the universe, it is yet very near in respect to me. 
 As soon as I die, then for me is time at an end. Then I 
 shall have no further opportunity of obtaining the grace and 
 the love of God. With the close of this mortal life, the 
 period of prayer, of conversion, and of hope will cease. In 
 the moment of my death the term of my preparation for 
 eternity is past. Time always flies further from me, but 
 death comes daily and hourly closer to me. Judgment 
 hastens always more towards me. Months and days of 
 divine patience quickly disappear; and the last decisive day 
 is at hand. 
 
 These are the considerations which the terminating day of 
 this month most impressively recommends to me. How 
 many thousands will this day be placed before the tribunal 
 of God ! And how, if I also should be in the number of 
 the dying; if to me also the thunder-voice should resound 
 in stunning accents : " Give an account of thy stewardship ? " 
 Ah ! God, how sorrowful am I at this thought ! What then 
 would be my fate ? I would resign myself into thy hands, 
 thou eternal Judge : I would supplicate thee for the sake of 
 Jesus to be gracious to me : I would pray thee not to be 
 mindful of my squandered and slumbered days. But, per- 
 haps, death may surprise me so unexpectedly, that I shall 
 not have sufficient time to pray to thee, and to commend my- 
 self to thee. That petition which I would offer in my last 
 hour, will I now this morning present to thee: Lord, 
 reconciled gracious God ! I give my spirit in charge to thy 
 mercy. For J e us' sake I beseech thee be propitious to me, 
 and have not heed to the sins of my past life. Teach me the 
 wisdom to employ all the precious moments which thou shalt 
 
WITH GOD. 361 
 
 still bestow upon me, for my salvation, and to prepare my 
 soul for heaven. Give me strength to follow the Master to 
 whom I belong, and who is gone before me to make ready 
 for me the everlasting abode. Soon will days, months, years, 
 and all the remaining fragments from eternity be re-absorbed; 
 and bear me along with them into the gulf of eternity itself. 
 O ! that this eternity may be a blessed one ! 
 
 Everlasting God ! thou canst fulfil this the most impor- 
 tant of all wishes. My life may be as grievous as it will : if 
 eternity prove but happy to me, then shall I bless my former 
 misery, and with thankfulness and joy look back to my 
 elapsed days. 
 
 SEPTEMBER 1. 
 
 Incitements to an entire Reliance on God. 
 
 How many summonses do I daily receive to yield myself up 
 unconditionally to the wisdom and the fatherly goodness of 
 my God ! Every respiration might remind me of this duty, 
 and each prolongation or rescue of my life might inculcate 
 the important obligation of resigning myself in complete re- 
 liance to his care ! But how little have I considered this ! 
 How seldom have I thanked him for it ! How often have I 
 grieved him in return for his graciousness, and ascribed to 
 the patronage of men that which was his work alone ! I 
 have often attributed the prosperity which I enjoy to my own 
 talents, and my safety from dangers to my own watchfulness, 
 and forgotten that a higher hand is spread over me for my 
 protection. Yet frequently have I with all my foresight 
 approached to the brink of destruction. And whence comes 
 it, that I am this moment living, and am able to praise the 
 goodness of my God? Lord, whatever T am is thy gift: 
 the spirit by which I turn my thoughts to thee, my tran- 
 quillity of mind, whatever till this day I have been able to 
 effect are all thy goodness. 
 
 O ! with what shame do I now perceive that I have fre- 
 quently received the greatest gifts of thy bounty without 
 
36*2 MORNING OOMMUNINGS 
 
 either gratitude or love ; that I never yet with ardent emo- 
 tion recognised the especial blessing which was imparted to 
 me in every peaceful night, on awaking from its indulgence, 
 the benefit of thy almighty defence, of thy compassionat- 
 ing tenderness, of thy skilful solicitude. And yet this bene- 
 fit is so invaluably great, yet the refreshment which thou 
 suppliest to thy creatures in sleep is so highly deserving of 
 thanks,. yet the blessing of thy protection is never more visible 
 than in the undisturbed repose of the hours of darkness. 
 
 Strengthen me, O thou who art the author, at once, and 
 the perfect finisher of faith, strengthen me in faith, that 
 through me also thy name may be glorified. I will extol it, 
 I will publish to my brethren what thou hast done for me. 
 O ! may all who as yet know thee not, choose thee for their 
 king, and desire to stand under thy gracious sceptre ; may 
 all sinners be constrained to fall down at thy feet and con- 
 fess It is good to be a Christian, and to be engaged in the 
 service of a Master who is himself love ! Before thee, O 
 Lord, before thy eyes will I walk throughout this whole day. 
 Remind me of thee, if I should in any way forget thee ; 
 hold me up when I stumble ; raise me again when I fall ; 
 and let me find thy help when I seek it. Let me live in thy 
 fear, die in thy grace, and hereafter make my resurrection 
 into thy glory. Yes, my Father, my great stay, my com- 
 miserator, my comfort, let me, as thy pilgrim, and as thy 
 subject citizen, be commended to thy governing vigilance. 
 Only be thou not terrible to me O thou who art my refuge 
 in time of need ! 
 
 SEPTEMBER 2. 
 
 God 1 s fatherly Care and Affection. 
 
 CAN anything be easily imagined more tender than the heart 
 of a fond mother, who, then even when all are abandoned to 
 repose, keeps unwearied vigils for her weak, helpless babe, 
 and with the dawning morn directs her first thoughts to its 
 welfare? How anxiously does this maternal solicitude search 
 into each infant want, and recommence, as it were, every new 
 day its provident cares ! The child knows nought of this 
 
WITH GOD. 3G3 
 
 life's sorrows, but rests tranquil and secure from all unhap- 
 piness while nestled on its parent's bosom. And wherefore 
 then do I despond, since my heavenly Father watches over 
 me yet more carefully loves me yet more dearly : since 
 he himself has promised never to forsake or abandon me 
 since every night of rest convinces me that he guards me 
 with his omnipotent protection? O, my soul, whence springs 
 thy mistrust, which thus at the first flush of each returning 
 day arises anew within thee ? Whence flows that timorous 
 dread which thus disquiets thee, and so embitters thy abode 
 in this world ? Do not they originate in thy trusting not to 
 God, and more regarding thy own griefs than thy Father's 
 love-o'erflowing heart. 
 
 Yes, my merciful Father, ashamed and penitent I must 
 confess before thee, that hitherto my confidence in thee has 
 been no filial and joyful confidence. Thou hast bestowed 
 upon me proofs enough of thy attention and protection. But 
 seldom have I observed them ; or if they were remarked by 
 me, I have instantly forgotten them again. Hadst thou, 
 compassionate Parent, so acted towards me, what would now 
 have been my condition ? Where should I have now been ? 
 Should I this day have lifted up my heart to thee in glad- 
 ness, or have praised thy mercy towards me ? 
 
 Pardon, pardon me my ingratitude, and withdraw not 
 from me the treasure of thy grace. I have little acknow- 
 ledged that it is thou who hast maintained for me the perfect 
 enjoyment of all my senses, and my nobler faculties. But 
 what were I, if thou shouldst withdraw from me these pre- 
 cious gifts ? How truly pitiable are many who often move 
 before my eyes, less favoured than I am in these essential 
 blessings ! These might well instruct me, through their 
 misery, how great my privileges are. To thee my God and 
 benefactor, shall my senses and the faculties of my soul be 
 consecrated. My understanding shall meditate thy ways, 
 admire thy exalted attributes, and glorify thy name, which 
 alone is great. Agreeably to thy designs, will I employ all 
 the senses with which thou hast gifted me, and of which, 
 through thy mercy, I have still the use. Thy renown shall 
 be my peculiar occupation and my chief delight. 
 
 With these resolutions I begin the present day. Grant 
 me energy to fulfil them, and teach me to do according to 
 
364 MORNING COMMUNINGS 
 
 thy pleasure, that my conscience may not accuse me in the 
 evening. Withdraw not from me the continuance of those 
 blessings, of which my foolish heart has not hitherto been 
 sufficiently sensible, which it has employed not faithfully 
 and wisely enough, nor retained and cherished assiduously 
 enough. Hear even yet on the brink of the grave, when I 
 depart into eternity, hear then the last petition of thy child : 
 Lord, thou art my shield, my salvation, my boast ; receive 
 me into thy adoption ! 
 
 SEPTEMBER 3. 
 
 Reflections on our mortal Dissolution. 
 
 EVERY day I receive new cause and new incitement to busy 
 myself with the thoughts of death, and I never want occa- 
 sions to render the remembrance of dissolution lively in my 
 soul. Each dawn proclaims to me my end. Every morning 
 I may say to myself, I have now again one day less to 
 wander through the world, and one obligation more to redou- 
 ble my industry in the work of my amendment, since the sum 
 of my years is abridged. And what do shortening days say 
 to me but this truth : " Man, thy time is brief, and it flieth 
 quickly ! " Wherever I cast my eyes on this stage of inces- 
 santly shifting scenery, I find on all sides change, evanes- 
 cence, and decay. All things in nature proclaim to me my 
 perishable condition ; but yet more strongly do the weakness 
 of my body, the diminution of my powers, and the graves of 
 beloved friends who have died in the bloom of their age, re- 
 mind me of my approaching decease, and] everywhere do 
 memorials of those who have sunk into their long sleep meet 
 my observation. I cannot regard the house in which I 
 dwell without being silently told of death. Others have in- 
 habited it who are now no more ; and in a short time, I 
 shall make place for new possessors. Wherever I go, I tread 
 on the bones of the dead. And who knows how near I my- 
 self may be to those dead whom I so much loved in their life ? 
 I will not let these contemplations depart from my thoughts, 
 for they are able to make me wise for eternity ; but will re- 
 flect upon my mortality as often as the world besieges me with 
 
WITH GOD- 365 
 
 its seductive charms as often as the destructive instigations 
 of avarice, of ambition, or of pleasure awaken in my heart 
 as often as duty demands from me any greater than ordinary 
 sacrifice as often as God's inscrutable decrees burden my 
 soul with any heavy suffering. For what can render me more 
 humble, more watchful, and more comforted than the thought 
 of death, and of the life of retribution into which I shall pass 
 through death. But thou knowest iny heart, O God ; thou 
 knowest how it still struggles with the fear and with the ter- 
 ror of death. Thou knowest how disciplined I am to think of 
 my mortality. Sustain me, therefore, with thy strength, and 
 replenish me with heavenly thoughts. 
 
 The more acquainted I become with death, the more ac- 
 quainted shall I be with my true happiness. I have no cause 
 to fear that the consideration of death will embitter my life ; 
 it will rather sweeten it, and teach me to enjoy the pleasures 
 of this world with wisdom. And at last I shall obtain that 
 blessed frame of mind, which will render me at all times, and 
 under all circumstances, ready to die joyfully. And should 
 T accomplish this, I shall gain inexpressible tranquillity of 
 soul. 
 
 SEPTEMBER 4. 
 
 Prayer for God's Compassion and Protection. 
 
 THOU Being of all beings, behold I am dust, but thou hast 
 formed my spirit for eternity ! Have compassion upon me ! 
 From my pride and levity, from my indolence, from my 
 wicked heart, preserve me, Lord my God, through the sup- 
 port of thy Holy Spirit. 
 
 From all rebellion against thee, from all enmity to my 
 brethren, from the poison of the scoffers of thy word, from the 
 darkness of superstition, preserve me, Lord my God ! From 
 too strong temptations, from the death of the soul, and from 
 eternal death, preserve me, thou Lord of my life ! 
 
 Lord ! Lord God ! merciful and gracious, faithful and pa- 
 tient, maintain thy invisible church through thy unsearchable 
 but Divine and Almighty providence. Awaken from their 
 
366 MORNING COMMUNINGS 
 
 perdition the yet unconverted sinners, and those who, after 
 conversion, have again fallen off. Let thy foes yet in the 
 season of their grace turn back to thee, let them hasten and 
 save their souls. 
 
 Teach me to be evermore mindful of my calling to celestial 
 felicity, that my heart may not be lost for heaven, through 
 foolish attachment to the things of this world, and the joys 
 of the earth. Let thy w r ord be a lantern to my feet, my light 
 in every dark way. Be thy word my comfort when I suffer; 
 my support when I totter ; my strength when I grow feeble. 
 Keep me true to this holy word. Do thou thyself carry 
 me through the narrow gate to everlasting life. Let me be- 
 lieve it with sure trust, that I may walk in the straight path 
 to eternal life. Let me, through many a dear experience, 
 learn how light thy load, how soft thy yoke is. When it is 
 too hard for me, or when I really take thy cross upon me and 
 follow thee, powerfully convince me that the way in which 
 thou guidest me to immortality is the best. O ! that I might 
 love thee, who did first love me, arid wast for me obedient 
 unto death. O ! that I might love thee with all my soul, 
 with all my heart, and with all my faculties ! O ! that I 
 might love also, as well as myself, all my brethren, for whom, 
 even as for me, thou wast obedient unto death. 
 
 Let me look up to thee, as the beginner and the perfecter 
 of faith. Help me to fight, to struggle, and to conquer. 
 Help me to love my foes ; to bless them that curse me ; to 
 pray for them that wrong and persecute me. Let me be in 
 ail things perfect as thou wast. Have compassion, my God, 
 on all my brethren. Hear the desires of all the wretched, 
 who this day cry out to thee in their afflictions, and release 
 them from their evils. Let this day be for all my friends and 
 all who belong to me, a blessed day. 
 
 O ! eternal God, have compassion upon me ! Lord, Lord, 
 have compassion upon me ! Father and Creator, have com- 
 passion upon me ! Lord thou Son of God ! Mediator of the 
 world, have mercy upon me ! Spirit of the Father and the 
 Son, have mercy upon me ! 
 
WITH GOD. 367 
 
 SEPTEMBER 5. 
 
 Retrospect of Life. 
 
 REVERT, O my spirit, to the former period of thy life : look 
 down from the summit which thou hast attained, upon that 
 friendly vale of childhood, where innocence and love were 
 thy faithful companions, when thou knewestnot yet the cares 
 of existence, and feltest not its pains. Think with thankfulness 
 and emotion of the innumerable joys with which God then 
 provided for thy welfare, and of the countless dangers out of 
 which his compassionate and protecting love so beneficently 
 rescued thee. Let thy feelings become loudly expressive of 
 gratitude, while thou confessest : Lord, I am not worthy of 
 the mercy and truth which thou hast hitherto evinced towards 
 me. Life and every blessing hast thou bestowed upon me, 
 and thy providence has preserved my breath. But in vain 
 do I seek, guided by my remembrance, to review the series of 
 the benefactions of my God : I cannot discover their begin- 
 ning. I lay in slumber, and was not conscious of my own 
 being ; on the bosom of my mother whom I knew not, en- 
 compassed by love and truth, in lamentable necessity of aid 
 did I then lie when I was consecrated to God, when I was 
 received into the holy covenant of the Redeemer. For years 
 did the true unwearied love of my celestial Father, which 
 often in the levity and blindness of my youthful heart, I re- 
 turned with ingratitude, and distressed and vexed guide and 
 protect, form and instruct me. When I at length grew ripe 
 for reflection and consideration, when I attained the inestima- 
 ble blessing of being able to perceive in the light of Chris- 
 tianity my dignity and my destination, when my spirit exalted 
 itself to the Lord, and my soul rose to him in prayer, how rich 
 was I then in the greatest blessings of God ! how did my soul 
 elevate itself from one ascent to another, unto still greater 
 perfection ! how happy was I through the knowledge of the 
 love of God, my heavenly Father, and through belief ia his 
 Only-begotten, whom he also sent for my salvation ! 
 
 This salvation, in which my soul is made a participator, 
 will I acknowledge so long as I live, with the most thankful 
 heart ; I will not cease to praise God's goodness, and to love 
 
 UHIVBHSITT 
 
368 MORNING COMMUNINGS 
 
 the Father who first and so highly loved me. My life shall 
 manifest that I know how to value the blessings of the gospel ; 
 and that these glad tidings of great joy have likewise been 
 salutary for my amendment and sanctification. The worth 
 which I have obtained as a disciple of Jesus, never will I 
 sport with through unconsciousness, forgetfulness of God, or 
 inconstancy of mind : my conduct shall aspire at heaven, my 
 soul shall be devoted to Jesus, and my sole endeavour shall 
 be directed to that which is honest, chaste, and commendable. 
 For an eminent pattern of the purest and most steadfast 
 piety stands before my eyes in the life of my Saviour ; I will 
 be such in sentiment as he was, will live as he lived, die as he 
 died, with an undefiled, faithful, and devout heart : especially 
 will I endeavour after the things above, that I may one day 
 enter into the glory of the Lord and hear his call : "Approach 
 thou blessed of the Lord, receive the kingdom which is as- 
 signed to thee, be happy in the presence of thy God, and 
 praise him with all the company of the perfect and the glori- 
 fied in eternity." 
 
 SEPTEMBER 6. 
 Awakening from Death. 
 
 FROM every returning morning, a new period of trial, of 
 misery, and of care, dates its commencement. To behold 
 another morning is nothing else than to enter anew upon the 
 toilsome race to the appointed goal, again to encounter the 
 world in contest, again to become subject to the temptations 
 of sin. O ! what a transporting morning will that be for me, 
 when I shall awake from the slumber of death, and that era 
 begin, which will no longer be capable of being computed by 
 years, and which will have no other measure save eternity. 
 With what ecstasy shall I then pronounce the words which 
 now occasion me so much sorrow, the words of the angel : 
 " Time will be no more ! " 
 
 This is the season of uncertainty and weakness, there they 
 will both for ever have terminated. I shall be no more liable 
 to folly and error. I shall regard everything in the light of 
 
WITH GOD. 369 
 
 God, and see face to face him who is the origin of the uni- 
 verse and the eternal truth. This is the season of temptation 
 and danger. When I shall once be beyond the boundaries of 
 this visible world, and elevated above all its deceptions, I shall 
 have no further peril to fear for my soul ; the darkness of the 
 future will no longer afflict me, the power of sensuality no 
 longer hold dominion over me, death no more menace me with 
 its frightful sway; then will my fight be ended, my victory 
 obtained, my felicity interminable. The period of my separa- 
 tion from God will finish on that blessed morning, when I 
 shall come forth out of my grave to the everlasting life of in- 
 finite felicity. I shall myself be no longer obstructed in my 
 sacred and heavenly exercises by any foe of God and of his 
 grace. The term of my fatiguing labours and of my suffer- 
 ings will then cease. I shall rest eternally from all occupa- 
 tions which are enjoined with hardship and weariness : the 
 sources of pain will be dried up for ever. 
 
 " It is finished ! " exclaimed the Redeemer on the cross. 
 " It is finished," I too may hereafter say in the hour of death, 
 and at the close of this mortal period. But in order to be 
 able truly to say so, I must accomplish with the most up- 
 right fidelity whatever is incumbent upon me in this life. 
 And to this mode of acting even the present morning must 
 prove for me an incitement. I am yet in the world, where I 
 must struggle with much and endure much. O God, teach 
 me wisely to dispose of my short but important time. If I 
 am convinced that eternity will follow this life, wherefore do 
 I not use all my efforts to employ it immediately to my real 
 welfare. To delay my amendment till future hours is dan- 
 gerous : to-day is the right time to prosecute that great work, 
 on which the felicity of eternity will depend. O ! how happy 
 shall I be if I prudently anticipate the uncertain number of 
 my days, and prepare myself early for eternity ! How happy 
 shall I be, if, when the time which is ordained me to live and 
 to suffer is ended, I shall be able triumphantlv to say, " It is 
 finished ! " 
 
370 MORNING COMMUNINGS 
 
 SEPTEMBER 7. 
 The true Value of terrestrial Things. 
 
 I LIVE in a world in which the goodness and the love of God 
 towards me display themselves in a thousand different ways. 
 He has adorned and filled the earth with innumerable gifts of 
 goodness. It is his good will that we should be happy in the 
 enjoyment of his blessings : for this reason has he consti- 
 tuted our senses so wonderfully, that taste, hearing, and sight, 
 are for us exhaustless sources of gratification and delight ; 
 and for this reason, likewise, nature, which is so magnificent, 
 is ordered constantly to furnish new joys to our hearts, to 
 pour out her stores before us, and present to us the noblest 
 monuments of God's benignity. But since this mortal 
 clime, in which I dwell, affords me 110 complete felicity, 
 it cannot be my real and proper country, nor my permanent 
 station. No ; this world is a school in which I am to be 
 qualified for a higher destination, a place of trial which is to 
 make me fit for heaven. Therefore are its possessions and 
 joys so transitory ; therefore is the happiness which it offers 
 so imperfect and so easily disturbed ; therefore I ought not to 
 be fond of the world or of what is in it. 
 
 How happy might I yet be were I to act according to these 
 principles, and begin with the present day, to judge more ra- 
 tionally of the pleasures of life, and more correctly to estimate 
 their value. Ah ! my heart is still too strongly fettered to 
 the earth ! I feel how much dominion that which is earthly 
 has over me ; I feel how difficult, how impossible, it is for my 
 corrupted heart to renounce the world, to limit my predilec- 
 tion for worldly vanities, and to bend all my inclinations to 
 the possessions of eternity. How should I murmur against 
 God were he to withdraw from me those pleasures which I 
 deem essential to my happiness ! How comfortless should 
 I become if he took from me the friends whom I cherish, the 
 wealth which I have acquired, the privileges of rank of which 
 I am so proud, or the life to which I am so excessively at- 
 tached. My behaviour would be far more consistent with 
 reason if I prized all things according to their absolute worth 
 and their intended purposes. I should live much more con- 
 
WITH GOD. 371 
 
 tentedly if my heart were less attached to terrestrial objects ; 
 I should be more patient in my sufferings if I entertained 
 more accurate notions in regard to them ; I should have less 
 horror of death if I loved the world less. 
 
 But it is necessary that I should adopt this mode of think- 
 ing which can alone render me fit to become a citizen of 
 heaven ; I therefore implore thee, my God ! teach me to 
 contemplate the world and that which it contains, as a Chris- 
 tian. The earth is sufficient to excite my desires, but not 
 sufficient to satisfy them. It is rich enough to afford me re- 
 creation, but not rich enough to bestow upon me happiness. 
 My land of home is in heaven, and the only way that leads to 
 it passes over the earth. Here must I seek for happiness and 
 joy there shall I find them ! 
 
 SEPTEMBER 8. 
 
 Advantages bestowed upon us in preference to our 
 Fellow-creatures. 
 
 WITHOUT termination and without end are thy blessings to- 
 wards me, most affectionate and most bountiful Father ! I 
 make this confession with gladness, since the daily experience 
 of thy bounty renders it to me a most sacred duty. O ! what 
 hast thou hitherto done for me what dost thou not still do . 
 How greatly by thy mercies hast thou distinguished me be- 
 fore so many thousands ! How many of my brethren have, 
 according to thy unsearchable counsel, been carried off during 
 the past night out of this life of trial ! For me thou hast 
 preserved my life and my health. How many have hailed 
 the present day with tears and sighs ! I can welcome it with 
 thankfulness and pleasure. How many has thy hand smote, 
 that they feel pains and infirmities ! I, through thy grace, 
 am in health and free from ailment. How many scarcely 
 possess wherewith to still their hunger and thirst ! I find 
 sufficient for my maintenance, and even enjoy a state of ease. 
 How many are persecuted, slandered, and despised ! To me 
 thou hast sent friends and benefactors. But where shall I 
 select words to express the felicity which I owe to thee? 
 
372 MORNING COMMUNINGS 
 
 Without limit, without end, are thy benefits towards me, 
 most loving and most benignant Father. 
 
 Yet have I deserved that God should have bestowed so 
 many blessings upon me in preference to others ? Is there 
 anything in me which makes me more worthy of such a supe- 
 riority than those among my brethren, who live in sorrow and 
 care? Have I more faith, more love, more godliness than my 
 fellow- mortals ? If I regard myself impartially, my heart 
 must say : " No, I have not deserved to be the object of the 
 numerous evidences of favour with which the Lord has en- 
 riched me. All his favours are nothing else than the free- 
 grace tokens of his compassionate love." But whereforc r 
 does God so distinguish me ? The Lord purposes to encou- 
 rage me, and bind me in duty by his kindness to penitence^ 
 and to true solicitude for the reformation of my heart. Yes, 
 this morning which I behold, this my contented breast, this 
 sound body, these earthly blessings, this protection which 
 God vouchsafes to me, are pure invitations to me to learn the 
 necessity of my amendment. Those chastisements, under 
 which my brethren suffer, are also exertions of the same 
 grace, and are to instigate me to seek God and to turn to 
 him. 
 
 But can then my life serve as a proof of these blessed 
 effects of the divine grace ? Or is it rather a proof of my 
 obstinate heart ? Ah ! God, how can I do otherwise than 
 humbly confess that thy goodness has Dot produced in me 
 the end for which it was bestowed ? Thou hast endeavoured 
 to bring me to thyself through thy goodness, but I have 
 not followed thy benign attractions. Thou hast manifested 
 to me thy righteousness in others, but I have observed it 
 without emotion and without improvement. Lord, spare 
 me, and punish me not as my inconsistency of mind and 
 my fickleness deserve. Make me more faithful to my con- 
 science and my duty, and teach me thyself to act according 
 to thy pleasure. I vow to thee with a sincere heart, that I 
 will watch and pray, that I may fall not into temptation ; and 
 thy Spirit will support my weakness. 
 
WITH GOD. 373 
 
 SEPTEMBER 9. 
 
 The Grace and Influence of Prayer. 
 
 I AM then always in the happiest and most blissful state of 
 mind, when I have commenced the day with reverential 
 prayer. Therefore do I now pray to thee, my God; and 
 while I pray, I feel how highly favoured I am beyond so 
 many thousands, who have beheld this morning without 
 thanking thee for it, without entreating for thy blessing ! O 
 what a great incomprehensible benefit is granted to me, that 
 I can at all hours approach thy throne, and under all circum- 
 stances seek thy countenance ! How soon would my heart 
 lose its noblest and most exquisite feelings, if devotion did 
 not awaken them, arid nourish them, if it did not renovate 
 and enliven the consciousness of my worth within me, if 
 prayer did not humanize me ! All the impulses of brotherly 
 love would fail, as well as all the influence of the fear of 
 God, if prayer did not remind me of what God is, and of 
 what I myself am. I should think less of heaven, if I did 
 not sometimes lift up my hands towards it. I should be- 
 come entirely the prey of sin, if thy Spirit, O God, especi- 
 ally in my retired worship, did not operate upon my heart. 
 I thank thee for so many moments which, through prayer, 
 have passed away among blessings. For this morning's de- 
 votion also do I present to thee my thanks, O thou who 
 nearest my petitions. 
 
 Carefully will I employ the happiness of my solitude. 
 Now while my thoughts are not yet entangled in the embar- 
 rassments of the world, I will turn my whole soul to thee, 
 and adore thee in spirit and in truth. God, thou seest with 
 a glance the cares and the wishes of my heart. To thee all 
 my wants and all my necessities are -known. To thee is it 
 also known how ardently my heart desires to find rest, and 
 to become worthy of thy grace. Ah ! Lord, look down then 
 graciously upon me ! for I am a sinner. This is the sum- 
 mary of all my misery and trouble. Thou who justifiest 
 sinners, most holy Redeemer, free me through thy blood, 
 from the guilt and merited punishment which I have drawn 
 upon myself through my sinful life. What avails existence, 
 
 
374 MORNING COMMUNINGS 
 
 when it passes under a disquieted conscience? what to me 
 are all the pleasures of earth, if I must live in constant 
 expectation of thy vengeance ? what joy could this new day 
 afford me, if I were deprived of the assurance, that I shall 
 spend it under thy favour ? But how can I be assured of 
 thy favour, since I myself rouse thy chastising equity through 
 my sinfulness ? O God ! have mercy upon me, and have 
 compassion upon me a sinner. Have compassion upon me, 
 when I kneel before thee overwhelmed with repentance, and 
 offer up to thee my vows of alteration of conduct. Reject 
 me not, when I entreat thee for the support of thy Spirit. 
 Accompany me with thy fatherly blessing, and with thy for- 
 bearance, in the days which I have still to live, and strengthen 
 me in the hour when I shall die and appear before thy judg- 
 ment-seat. 
 
 SEPTEMBER 10. 
 
 God's Indulgence and Readiness to forgive leads the Chris- 
 tain to confess his Errors, and to seek the Divine Aid. 
 
 PRAISED be thy name, thou God of all mercy, that thou 
 pardonest our crimes, and for the sake of thy Son's atone- 
 ment art gracious to sinners, when they draw near to thee in 
 profound repentance. Who is like Jehovah, so full of long- 
 suffering, so patient, so inclined to forgiveness ? Men are 
 severe and cruel, and implacable : they shut up their hearts 
 even against the unfortunate, when the latter approach 
 them, though it may be with the strongest claim. But 
 thou, Infinite Being, blessest and lovest even the unworthy. 
 If I knew not this, I could not dare to present myself 
 before thee, to take refuge with thee, and to supplicate thee 
 for indulgence and favour. For with what contrition must 
 I confess, that my offences against thee have deprived 
 me of all right to call myself thy child. My life exhi- 
 bits to my view a long series of transgressions, and in 
 order to determine the value of rny past days, I can say 
 nothing further, than that the greater part of them have 
 been lost. 
 
WITH GOD. 375 
 
 How can I make this confession without at the same time 
 vowing that I will labour with earnestness and zeal for my 
 own improvement, that I will not flee the Christian fight, but 
 manfully encounter temptation ! Preserve me, O God, from 
 the misfortune of continuing in the slumber of iniquity, and 
 dreaming away that time which is destined for my con- 
 version. This morning is a citation to me to awaken, 
 and become better. I must not allow it to elapse unprofit- 
 ably. I must listen to the voice that calls me, I must be 
 obedient to the love which allures me to itself; to this end, 
 O God, let thy Spirit also in this dawning hour work upon 
 my heart, and let my heart itself be savingly startled and 
 alarmed. Discover to me all the offences which I have 
 committed, and represent to me in their most lively colours 
 those unknown and unrepented sins, which may tend most to 
 redouble the agony of my conscience. And let me experi- 
 ence no alleviation till I have vanquished my own heart, and 
 found that gentle peace in my soul, which is able to preserve 
 me for everlasting life 
 
 And if I then give myself over to thee, O thou God of 
 compassion, deign to grant me thy. gracious acceptance. 
 When, confiding in the mediation of Christ, I supplicate for 
 thy grace, let me find it, and become a participator of that 
 forgiveness which is the sole comfort of my life. Everything 
 in the world will become unfelicitous to me, if I do not ob- 
 tain thy propitious regard ; and my afflictions will be still 
 more unsupportable to me, if my conscience loads me with 
 reproaches, and my own heart occasions me sorrow. But 
 everything will promote mv real good if I am in unity with 
 thee. 
 
 What can I therefore desire more advantageous for my 
 well-being this day, than that thou, O God, mayst take away 
 from me my sins? Others may devote their wishes to 
 riches, honour, and the rest of the gratifications of this life : 
 my wish, my happiness, my riches, my honour, are the for- 
 giveness of my sins. 
 
376 MORNING COMMUNINGS 
 
 SEPTEMBER 11. 
 
 Man's Attachment to the Things of this World. 
 
 How easily is my weak heart carried away by its love of 
 terrestrial things, and the vain joys of this world ; and how 
 easily does it forget, that even the most innocent things may 
 become dangerous, if I rashly yield myself up to them ! 
 After I have already had so much experience of this truth, it 
 is certainly time that I should be sensible to my own weakness, 
 and more cautious in temporal enjoyment. But how firmly 
 is my heart still chained down by terrestrial bonds ! Every 
 day gives me new proofs of this slavery. Cares, riches, and 
 pleasures, these are the objects which divert my thoughts from 
 their right channel, and so powerfully hurry me along in 
 their stream. And what is the result ? A melancholy stu- 
 pefaction of my better feelings ! Ah ! hence it is that even 
 the most serious things have no influence over my heart; 
 that I remain unaffected when religion ought to move me ; 
 that I am sad, when the consideration of eternity ought to 
 enrapture me. Hence springs that levity of my heart, that 
 indifference in regard to the real welfare of my soul. Hence 
 originates that softness which makes me shrink to take up 
 the cross of Jesus, to deny myself, and in this disposition to 
 follow him. Hence will death be so bitter to me, when it 
 shall at once tear from me all my beloved idols, to which my 
 heart is so deeply devoted. 
 
 This morning is the fittest time for the indulgence of these 
 contemplations. The less I am yet discomposed by dis- 
 tractions and anxieties, the more easy is it for me to collect 
 my mind, and to employ its meditations with those things on 
 which the din of the world leaves me so little leisure to think. 
 Be it so; I will here in my solitude entertain those ideas 
 which are appropriate to my real destination. My heart 
 shall be engaged with thee, my God ; thou shalt now be the 
 sole subject of its love, of its desires, and of its hopes. 1 
 will represent to myself in its most glowing tints the great- 
 ness of that happiness which I enjoy through depending 
 upon thee, and through being thy child, and a redeemed 
 servant of Jesus. I will reiterate the resolution to be unal- 
 
WITH GOD. 377 
 
 terably dedicated to thee, and to let neither the joys nor the 
 vexations of life avert me from thee. I will with lively de- 
 votion consider the wisdom and goodness with which thou 
 hast hitherto guided me, the numerous testimonies of grace 
 which from the first moment of my life to the present hour, 
 have been condescendingly vouchsafed to me, and the inex- 
 pressible indulgence with which thou, O Lord, hast borne 
 with me in my sins. I will picture to myself in their strong- 
 est light, that most extraordinary change for me which I 
 have to expect in death and in eternity, and that felicity 
 which is the portion of the pious, and hence will I derive the 
 most efficient motives of godliness. I will make a league 
 with my senses, that they shall not seduce me and plunge me 
 into destruction. 
 
 But what will all these good purposes profit if thou dost 
 not thyself rule my heart, direct my inclinations, and sanctify 
 each impulse of my bosom. However determined and re- 
 solved I may now appear to myself, as easily shall I be 
 overpowered if I venture into the world without thy support. 
 But with thee, my God, I shall be strong to conquer the 
 world, to despise what is earthly, and to embrace that which 
 is celestial. 
 
 SEPTEMBER 12. 
 
 Futile Cares with which Man idly torments himself. 
 
 I KNOW that God's wisdom rules my destiny, that his omni- 
 potence defends me, that his goodness blesses me, and yet I 
 cannot repress the cares of my heart, but still think with 
 anxiety of the future, and am more inclined to fear than to 
 hope. I often strain all my ingenuity to seek out for myself 
 causes of sadness, and explore the furthest points of my life 
 in order to discover sources of distress. I should be much 
 more tranquil if I confined myself to the present, and aban- 
 doned futurity entirely to the government of the omniscient 
 God ; if I availed myself of my former experience of God's 
 providence, in order on all occasions to draw from it comfort 
 and quiet. But my perverted heart labours for its own un- 
 
378 MORNING COMMUNINGS 
 
 easiness, and voluntarily augments its own afflictions. To 
 my disgrace I must acknowledge that I have already squan- 
 dered many a morning hour in such vexatious thoughts. 
 Cares were my first sensations when I awoke from sleep, 
 though assuredly by right thanks ought to have been so. 
 How will it succeed with me to-day ? I frequently inquire 
 of myself, What calamity will this day fall upon me? 
 What sickness will sooner or later extend me on the couch of 
 death ? What species of death will carry me off? Who 
 knows whether I may not lose my life suddenly, or by some 
 fatal accident ? Ah ! how wretched shall I be, if fire, if the 
 wickedness of men, or any other unexpected misfortune, de- 
 prive me of all my property ! 
 
 With such and even other disquieting imaginations do I 
 often awake. And even to-day my soul is not entirely free 
 from such anxieties. Foolish creature that I am ! why do I 
 thus torment myself without reason ? O how deserving of 
 pity must I appear under these circumstances to the angels, 
 who are, perhaps, secret eye-witnesses of my unbelieving 
 sentiments ! How deserving of commiseration must I ap- 
 pear to my own understanding, since I am so weak as to 
 create griefs for myself where no cause exists ! Cease, cor- 
 rupted heart, to disturb thyself, and to dishonour God ! 
 Banish all thoughts which instil into thee unbelief and des- 
 pondency. Cling, cling to God, and be not dispirited. Em- 
 bitter not further by thy own fault that life which is already 
 in itself so full of troubles. Enjoy, thankfully and content- 
 edly, that which God has apportioned to thee, and be joyou 
 in hope. God will grant to thee that which thou desirest, 
 provided thou art pious and satisfied. Be therefore solicit- 
 ous above all things to become pious, and free thyself from 
 fretful discontent. Expect always that which is the best and 
 the most salutary, from thy Father, who is in heaven. 
 Speak thus to thyself (God allows thee so to speak) : How 
 wonderfully and blessedly will the Lord also to-day lead me ! 
 How much good shall I also this day receive from him ! I 
 know that this day will be as little deficient in his acts of 
 grace as my former days have been. I know in whom I 
 believe ; and the God in whom I believe is my Father, my 
 Guide, my Benefactor. In his hand rests my fate. I will 
 wholly resign it to him, and with the fullest submission ac- 
 
WITH GOD. 379 
 
 cept everything from him, whether it be life or death. If I 
 so thought, O ! how contentedly, how happily might I live ! 
 
 SEPTEMBER 13. 
 
 Friendship considered with reference to God. 
 
 WITHOUT friendship and the mutual affection of mankind, 
 the world would be much more melancholy than it really is. 
 But, without God, the most tender friendship would afford 
 me no happiness, no consolation, no joy. Provided he be 
 my friend, then am I, in all respects, happy. In him I 
 find all that the inability of my friends prevent them from 
 bestowing, and that comfort which is unknown to the world. 
 In him I discover such a degree of love as infinitely sur- 
 passes even the fondest inclination of my fellow- mortals to- 
 wards me. With him I find iielp in all the concerns and 
 sorrows of this life. With him I find my happiness, both 
 in days of gloominess and of serenity. He is my strength, 
 my rock, my rescuer, and my fortress for ever. How great 
 and how soothing have been the proofs of his goodness, so 
 often as I have been compelled to contend with trouble ! 
 How often has his kindness come upon me by surprise how 
 often was his aid already present, while I yet pusillanimously 
 indulged anxiety and fear ! When all my friends become 
 faithless to me, he is the proved friend, who remains as he 
 is. Though all the assistance of my friends should be vain, 
 his almighty arm would still be able to succour and to save 
 me. 
 
 Led by the hand of this heavenly Friend, I now enter 
 into the world. At his side I need fear nothing To him I 
 may recommend all my concerns, and he is so gracious as to 
 give heed to them. Though I were attended by whole 
 armies of sincere friends, I could not be so tranquil as I now 
 am, since I have this omnipotent Friend beside me. O ! 
 how greatly shall I, even this day, require his support ! And 
 therefore do I turn to thee, thou Friend of all the offspring 
 of men, whom thy Son has reconciled to thee. Ah ! I am 
 an erring child ; lead and guide me, therefore, my Father, 
 
380 MORNING COMMUNINGS 
 
 lest I run into a thousand mazes which will hurry me into 
 destruction. Lead me, that I may not unhappily wander 
 further astray ; rescue me, that I may not be utterly lost in 
 the delusive meanderings of my way. I am a foolish, igno- 
 rant mortal, and as much in want of good counsel as of aid ; 
 be thou, therefore, my counsellor. Perplexities may occur 
 to me in my lifetime, which I shall not be able to unravel : 
 do thou solve all my difficulties, and make the darkness 
 which encompasses me clear. From thee I confidently ex- 
 pect that help which my friends cannot afford me. The 
 greatest love I, however, expect from thee in death. When 
 my friends shall hereafter surround the bed of my expiring 
 agonies, incapable of any other effort save that of lamenta- 
 tion and mourning, then do thou enter into the midst of 
 them, and let me feel the salvation and the comfort of thy 
 death. I know not all the accidents that may happen to me, 
 and in which thy assistance will be indispensable to me. 
 But thou, Omniscient and Omnipresent, knowest: how 
 should I then fear them, or shudder at their anticipation ? 
 All-gracious God, do thou bless whatever love, friendship, 
 and fidelity shall effect for me. Preserve for me those 
 whom thou hast united to me as companions, my true and 
 tried friends. Make this day a day of weal and joy for 
 these upright souls. Be thou also a friend to them, even as 
 they labour to be my friends. Finally, bring them and me 
 into that assembly of those most friendly and most faithful 
 spirits who have their union in heaven. There let us first 
 fully taste true friendship, and become perpetually happy in 
 its enjoyment. 
 
 SEPTEMBER 14. 
 
 An Address of Thanksgiving and universal Prayer. 
 
 LORD God, Father and Lord of my life ! to thee belong 
 majesty and dominion, glory, victory, and thanks. For all 
 that is in heaven or on earth is thine ; thine is the kingdom, 
 and thou art exalted above all on earth. I give thanks to 
 thee and celebrate thy glory. Thee fame and honour alone 
 become ; thou hast made the heaven, and the heaven of 
 
WITH GOD. 381 
 
 heavens, with its host. Thou raakest everything that lives, 
 and the celestial armies worship thee. Life and blessings 
 are the gifts which thou hast bestowed upon me, and thy 
 care maintains my breath. Therefore I rejoice and am glad 
 in thee, and praise thy name, thou Most High. For thy 
 goodness stretches as widely as the firmament. Thou, O 
 Guard of Israel, neither sleepest nor slumberest. How 
 shall I recompense thee, O God, for all the benefits which 
 thou dost to me ? Thou hast kept me like the apple of thy 
 eye, and permitted me to find protection and refuge under 
 the shadow of thy wings. I have awoke in thy image. Thy 
 inercy is even this morning renewed to me, and thy truth is 
 great. To this new day, therefore, do I publish thy grace, 
 that thou art so mighty, arid dost good perpetually. Let 
 my lips and my heart daily abound in thy applause, Lord, 
 my God ! 
 
 Direct me to-day, O Lord, so that, in all that I do, I may 
 enjoy thy approbation, and not avert thy blessing from my- 
 self through my sins. Show me thy way, and conduct me 
 in the right way. Let thy omnipotence be nigh to me, and 
 defend me from every evil. Be friendly to me, and prosper 
 the work of my hand ; yea, the work of my hand wilt thou 
 prosper. Fulfil all my wishes, when they accord with thy 
 unerring designs, and be not far from me when I call upon 
 thee in my difficulties. Strengthen me through thy Spirit 
 in my battle against sensuality and sin. Command thy an- 
 gels that they take charge of me in all my ways, and inspire 
 me with heavenly thoughts, that they may have joy in me. 
 Let the fear of thee be ever in my heart, that I may not 
 follow my own counsel and the propensities of my bosom, 
 but in all things hold thee before my eyes, the omnipresent 
 God, and Judge of the living arid the dead. 
 
 Diffuse thy name and thy kingdom over the earth. Pro- 
 tect thy church from all the assaults of her enemies, arid thy 
 worshippers from all the persecutions of the ungodly. Keep 
 peace and security within our walls ; confirm the prosperity 
 and the happiness of our homes, and increase felicity in all 
 families. When the wretched cry to thee, hear them : let 
 the widows find friends and protectors, and the orphans 
 nourishment and care. Rescue the souls of those who are 
 in the peril of death. Listen to the sighs of the needy, and 
 
382 MORNING COMMUNINGS 
 
 procure right for those who suffer wrong. Fill all things 
 that live with pleasure, and be the Father and the Benefactor 
 of thy creatures. Yet what is this for which in the weak- 
 ness of my heart I pray ? Thou remainest in eternity what 
 thou now art ; and, as thy years admit of no end, so like- 
 wise thy goodness endures from everlasting to everlasting. 
 Therefore must every distressed and sorrowful heart put 
 trust in thee ; for thou art kind towards all, and hast com- 
 passion on all thy works. 
 
 SEPTEMBER 15. 
 
 Awaking from Sleep. 
 
 I AWOKE from the refreshing slumber of a tranquil night. 
 No : the power of my Maker awakened me. The whole 
 creation yesterday vanished from my eyes and the sun went 
 down to the west, and set; a dark veil concealed the face of 
 nature ; my body refused co me its service. I seemed, as it 
 were, to die, though yet a certain feeling stirred within me. 
 But now a potent force affects me : my eyes open to me new 
 life, and receive anew the beams of light. At the command 
 of the universal Author of being I rise from sleep as if out of 
 my grave to renovated existence. What a wonder of Divine 
 omnipotence is man when, with fresh strength and fresh con- 
 sciousness of vital animation, he leaves his place of rest ! 
 Now I feel what the first man felt when thy w r ord, Omnipo- 
 tent, gave him life and breath. How can I still be inatten- 
 tive to thy goodness, and doubt whether thou art my Creator, 
 and whether I am daily created anew ! Although invisible, 
 thou standest daily before me, as thou didst before Adam ; 
 and daily awakenest me to a new life. But what species of new 
 life ! My ancestor was to live before thee in invulnerable 
 innocence. He was to employ his life for the purpose to 
 which thou hadst destined it, for the adoration of thy almighti- 
 ness, and for the extending of thy fame among thy progeny. 
 O ! grant, through thy grace, that I may belong this pro- 
 geny. Let me attain that destination for the sake of which 
 thou so often reinvestest me with existence. When I first en- 
 
WITH GOD. 383 
 
 tered into the world I could not stammer out thy praise. To- 
 day I rejoice that I am free from this infirmity. 
 
 What can my first thoughts be, when I regard myself, ex- 
 cept thanksgivings ? Even that I can think of these is thy 
 work and thy praise, thou All-propitious ! Deep within my 
 most sacred feelings hast thou prepared for thyself a service 
 of praise. And this feeling of thy goodness shall all this day 
 accompany me. It shall fortify me when I would become 
 languid under the hardships of life. It shall be my guide, 
 and my light in every dark passage of my earthly pilgrimage. 
 Thus thou, thyself, strengthenest me, iny Creator! Thus 
 thou art my life's comfort and guide ! Let me each day 
 which thou grantest to me become wiser to do good, that 
 I may nomeglect the precious season of sowing seed for eter- 
 nity, but collect a harvest of peace and joy for the evening of 
 my time ; and that even this day may bring me nearer to my 
 happy destination, and be a blessed advance towards eternity. 
 
 I depend wholly on thy pity. Only grace, grace is it that 
 I seek from thee, and on which I establish my prayer. O ! 
 let me yet in thy love find my quiet and my felicity. If I am 
 not loved by thee, then is life hateful to me, and the sight of 
 this new day frightful. But render me, 1 entreat thee, worthy 
 of thy love, and preserve me from all transgressions through 
 which I may lose thy fatherly attachment. Lead me and in- 
 struct me in thy truth ; for thou art my God : I daily cling 
 to thee. 
 
 SEPTEMBER 16. 
 
 The true Application of Life. 
 
 THANKS and praise be to thee, thou Preserver of my life ! 
 To thee be my earliest feelings consecrated, thou beneficent. 
 Deity ! Nature rejoices around me in renewed existence. 
 The heavens smile down upon the earth, again resplendent 
 in renewed beauty. Why should not my heart feel grateful 
 joy, when I consider what an invaluable blessing thou repeat- 
 ed to me in giving back to me my life ! As I yesterday 
 passed over a part of my journey to eternity, O ! so let me 
 
384 MORNING COMMUNINGS 
 
 not this day be weary. Thou leadest me according to coun- 
 sel, and wilt at length take me up into thy glory. Or did I 
 yesterday fall far behind in my course, O ! then I may to-day 
 with invigorated powers and a more chastened soul, search 
 out again my way ; and from the height to which I have at- 
 tained, look round on that country at which I seek to arrive, 
 and where I am to take up rny permanent abode. This was 
 thy wise view, O God, when thou didst grant me life. O ! 
 let me not disappoint this aim! 
 
 But how few men actually and indeed LIVE, although thou 
 prolongest their years, and endowest them with vigour ! How 
 many permit themselves to be retarded in their road to 
 heaven, at onetime by the riot of those who accompany them, 
 at another time by amusements, and not unfrequently by 
 troubles ! He only whom thou leadest reaches heaven in an 
 even path. Him the world, with the tumult of its joys and 
 and its business, disturbs not. He observes, as he passes by 
 them, the vanities which offer to seduce them. He is not in- 
 sensible, but he allows not himself to be wholly captivated 
 and carried away by the gratifications of the world. Every 
 morning he thinks of his exalted destination, and each time 
 renews his vow to live before God, and to direct his efforts to 
 that which is above. He constantly fixes his eyes on his 
 everlasting country, and in common with his fellow- mortals 
 pursues the journey which tends thither. Are any faint, he 
 strives to keep them up : are any ignorant, he instructs them. 
 Does he advance in his course in the sunshine of felicity, he 
 is transported by the thought that the beatitude of heaven is 
 infinitely greater. Does the sky become black, he is cheered 
 by the conviction that his Guide will not forsake him. 
 
 With these sentiments I praise thee this day, O my Maker. 
 Show me anew the way in which I ought to walk. Make me 
 strong to fulfil my duties in this life, but strong also to reflect 
 that I am not formed only for the present world. How 
 manifold are these duties ! How heavily will they press upon 
 me if thou dost not sustain me ! I ought to labour at thy 
 work; I ought to accomplish the work of my salvation. 
 Teach me, through thy Spirit, where I ought to be busy, and 
 what I ought to neglect. Preserve my heart, when it has 
 become firmer in goodness, and is thence sure of thy grace, 
 from being lifted up with pride, and looking down con- 
 
WITH GOD. 
 
 temptuously on fallen brethren, for even those enjoy thy love. 
 Let me hasten to my end with the hope that I, and those who 
 are with me, shall arrive triumphantly at the seat of eternal 
 happiness, through Jesus Christ. 
 
 SEPTEMBER 17. 
 
 Thanksgiving for Repose during Sleep, and Health on 
 Awaking. 
 
 ETERNAL Father of men ! Creator, Supporter, and Ruler ! 
 worshipped by thy angels, praised by thy works, glorified by 
 all nations ! In the thanksgiving songs which now ascend 
 to thee from the earth, one of thy created and redeemed 
 mingles his hymn of adoration. Give ear to my voice, O 
 thou, who listenest to the cry of the least of thy creatures. 
 Who shall not exalt thee, most benignant Father ? who shall 
 not thank thee and proclaim thy glory ? Each morning tells 
 to the evening how noble art thou, through thy mightiness 
 and love. To these alone I owe that a long night of pain has 
 not tormented me, and the spectacle of the dawn terrified me. 
 To these alone I owe that I am able to enjoy this new morn- 
 ing with renovated powers. With deep devotion do I thank 
 thee, that thou daily magnifies! thy power in this world, 
 daily prolongest the period of grace. But I have to thank 
 thy goodness for a yet greater blessing, namely, that of being 
 able to devote one day more to my amendment. Thou 
 awakenest even sinners. How many might the last night 
 have summoned to thy tribunal ! The righteous and the sin- 
 ful slumbered before thee, but thy sun arises alike on both. 
 
 O ! be propitious to me, thou Most High ! thou that call- 
 est to the sun, that he may give his light to the ends of the 
 world To thee we may with joyful hope commend the hap- 
 piness of the earth, and the happiness of those through whom 
 the earth is dear to us. To thee, Omniscient are my wishes 
 and the silent prayers, arid the glad hopes of my heart com- 
 pletely known. But thou hast, commanded that I should ad- 
 dress myself to thee, and charge thee in lowly veneration with 
 my own concerns, and tluse of my brethren. Therefore do 
 
 2c 
 
386 MORNING COMMUNTNGS 
 
 I come to thee with my prayer. But I fall trembling on my 
 face before thee : for I am not worthy to pray to thee, nor to 
 be favoured by thee. I have not deserved the mercy which 
 thou hast hitherto shown to me. How many mornings do I 
 now count, since thou didst first place me in this world ! How 
 many sorrows of the evening has the following day dispersed ! 
 How many joys has it restored to me ! Daily dost thou open 
 anew to me the way to heaven. But how frequently must I 
 stumble, if I walked without thee ! My reason, my heart, 
 and my own virtue are weak and dubious guides. Do thou 
 illumine rny understanding, amend my heart, and strengthen 
 my virtue. Wild and destructive passions often call my heart 
 from thy blissful path : do thou keep them in restraint, and 
 let me employ the affections of my bosom only to love thee 
 and desire thee with ardour. Let me be connected in bro- 
 therly unity with my neighbour, and love him as uprightly 
 as Jesus did his brethren. Let me direct all my steps towards 
 eternity, with my regards fixed on thee and in faith in Jesus. 
 And for my last hour I entreat thee, now while I still can en- 
 treat thee, let it not be terrible. Let me enter happily and 
 gently into the other life, and receive the promise which thou 
 hast made to thy faithful servants. 
 
 SEPTEMBER 18. 
 
 Contemplation of Christ's Agony. 
 
 WITH what feelings do I this day awake ! In those same 
 hours in which sweet sleep refreshed me, was Jesus seized by 
 deadly agony. I arise from slumber to enjoy the goodness of 
 my God, but he on that night had not where to lay his head 
 except the Mount of Olives, down which his tears and blood- 
 sweat flowed. On me the morning shines in its youthful 
 beauty, while thou, O Holiest, wast judged as a criminal by 
 the iniquitous, vilified by thy creatures, and sickened to the 
 heart by the wickedness of thy foes and the infidelity of thy 
 followers. Be ever present to me, thou frightful night! 
 Float constantly before my eyes, thou horrible tribunal, in 
 front of which my Jesus was compelled to stand ! Ac-corn- 
 
 
WITH GOD. 387 
 
 pany me during the whole of this day in all my ways. Ex- 
 cite and teach me to be true to Jesus ; and in following him 
 to be zealous and unwearied, so shall I never lose myself in 
 the unfortunate crowd of those who acknowledge him not as 
 the Lord of the world, and yet feel his benefits, and see his 
 judgments; so shall I never unite myself to that erring mul- 
 titude who despise his sufferings, calumniate his death, or 
 pass by with insensibility and forget his love. Ah ! God 
 ^reserve me from this unutterable misery ! I will, with every 
 hour which thou this day grantest to me, praise the death of 
 my Redeemer by my piety and love. Not he I, I ought 
 to appear before that terrific judgment, I ought to endure that 
 torture of the Olive Mountain and the cross ; I ought to suffer 
 death a thousand-fold, for the death on the cross ; I ought to 
 be forsaken of God, and for ever rejected by him. But thou, 
 
 Lord, didst lay my guilt and my curse on thy Son, that I 
 might obtain sanctification and joy. O ! be thou blessed to me, 
 thou newly-arisen morning. This is the day of a second cre- 
 ation. The angels praise the first day of the world ; but thee be- 
 fore the throne of the Lamb, millions of the righteous made per- 
 fect shall magnify and extol throughout the ages of eternity. 
 
 To thee, O Jesus, I commit my life and my well-being 
 without anxiety. Thou who didst suffer and who died for 
 me, how couldst thou abandon thy care for me? Since thou 
 hast done so much beyond conception for my soul, how canst 
 thou do less for my earthly necessities ? No, merciful Jesus, 
 
 1 can expect every thing -from thee, however great it may be, 
 since thou hast already granted to me the greatest, which is 
 heaven. Still vouchsafe to me the grace, that I may con- 
 stantly adhere to thee in faith. Remind me incessantly of 
 thy death and thy afflictions, and let them become forme the 
 strongest instigations to godliness, in like manner as they 
 afford to me the most undeceiving hope of blessedness. 
 Should I be inclined, and, alas ! I am too much inclined, to 
 hold dear the lusts and sins of the earth, then may thy suffer- 
 ings affright me, and thy anguish restrain me! Under the 
 sad yet soothing contemplation of thy passion, of thy love on 
 the cross, of thy wounds, of thy death pangs, and of thy 
 glorious consummation, let the day pass away from me : and 
 my life, my sufferings, and my death, be rendered sweet to 
 me through tTie same means. 
 
388 MORNING COMMUNINGE 
 
 SEPTEMBER 19 
 
 The Departure of the Beauties uj summer. 
 
 WHERE is that enlivening verdure with which the fields were 
 lately adorned ? Where are the flowers which with their 
 balmy scent refreshed my vital spirits ? Where are the trees 
 in the shade of which I so gladly loitered? Scarcely a trace 
 of them remains ; all are vanished. Was so much beauty, 
 so much of the enchanting and the ravishing united, so 
 much pomp and majesty only for this, that it might flourish 
 so short a time, and nought be left of it ? Here thou seest, 
 my soul, what thou hast to promise thyself from the posses- 
 sions and joys of this life. Couldst thou indeed require a 
 more striking image of the perishableness of all earthly things ? 
 Will thy treasures, thy distinction, thy felicities, as thou 
 namest them, will they last longer than the grass, which is 
 green to-day,- and to-morrow is cast into the oven ? Though 
 even that which thou termest happiness consisted not in ima- 
 gination, (for of this thou art hard to let thyself be convinced,) 
 though it could even subsist with virtue, (for of this thou be- 
 lievest thyself assured, ) be at least impressed with the con- 
 viction of this truth that the advantages of a moment de- 
 serve not the slightest esteem, in competition with that wealth 
 of which the duration is eternal. Wherefore dost thou then 
 distress thyself, because the gifts of fortune are wanting to 
 thee ? Why art thou proud because thou boldest them ? 
 Why dost thou mourn because thou hast lost them ? Exalt 
 thyself to nobler sentiments, and learn to know the way of 
 righteousness, which is alone worthy to be prized above all 
 else. 
 
 Yes, let this be the purpose of the day, and may I execute 
 it with strictest fidelity and most sacred zeal. I will not let 
 myself be fettered by the violence of my senses, nor become a 
 slave to vice. Those possessions which God bestows upon 
 me, I will employ to my own service and for my neighbour's 
 utility. No one in need of help shall go away from me 
 without comfort, no one that is hungry without food, no one 
 that is naked without clothing. No opportunity of perform- 
 ing good, no incitement to self-improvement which God may 
 
WITH GOD. 389 
 
 vouchsafe to me, shall depart this day unused. This is the 
 only means to obtain and to secure to myself a property in 
 heaven. For such conduct is with justice styled collecting 
 celestial treasures, which moths and rust cannot consume, and 
 which no robber can steal from me. Thus I may on the 
 present day suffer the greatest loss that fancy can imagine; 
 but in my conscience I shall always find an indemnifica- 
 tion that will reward me for every misfortune. And if I 
 keep the true value of mortal things constantly in view, I 
 shall so much the more ardently long after those gifts of 
 grace and those heavenly blessings, which are far more 
 constant, and more replete with happiness, than all tem- 
 poral prerogatives can be. O Lord, I suppliantly entreat 
 thee, implant, through thy Spirit, these sentiments in my 
 heart, and point out to me the path that leads to heaven. 
 Then shall I possess an epitome of all felicity, and even in 
 this world enjoy in advance a previous feeling of eternal 
 blessedness. 
 
 SEPTEMBER 20. 
 
 Proof of Mans destined Immortality. 
 
 I PROCEED continually further in my career ! I advance 
 always nearer to death and eternity. Again, I have left be- 
 hind me a night, an important part of my season of life. 
 But before me eternity lies spread out, although I cannot 
 see across the step which I have still to make to it. Per- 
 haps I stand unaware on the brink of the grave, into which 
 I shall either gradually sink, or be rapidly and violently 
 hurled. Be tranquil, O my soul! Why art thou alarmed? 
 What hast thou yonder to fear ? Wilt thou, perhaps, when 
 removed hence, be no more? Tremblest thou at the thought 
 of eternal annihilation ! Ah ! wherever I look I observe 
 abysses. I feel daily how the powers of my body diminish ; 
 but that which exists within the body gains daily new vigour. 
 So wither the leaves of the trees, though the latter renova'e 
 themselves internally, and again put forth their buds. And 
 shall no spring again return for me, when endued with new 
 
 
390 . MORNING COMMUNINGS 
 
 beauty I may rejoice in my Creator ? Shall I cease to be ; 
 I who feel in my heart an instinctive call to everlasting dura- 
 tion ? Nature everywhere testifies her subjection to man : 
 and shall man share with her the same transitory fate ? My 
 body may fall into inaction the past night hath taught me 
 so ; but can even the deepest sleep impair or destroy my 
 soul ? O ! then neither will the torpor of death annihilate 
 it ! No, even after the dissolution of my body I shall con- 
 tinue to be. O exhilarating faith in eternity, how beneficial 
 art thou to my heart ! Yes, thou art the most valuable 
 thing I possess ; thou wilt cheer my bursting heart, when 
 the last hour shall come. Be praised, O God, that thou 
 concealest this hour from me ! Thou wouldst teach me al- 
 ways to expect it. Perhaps even now I carry about with 
 me death's lurking poison ; soon will it then break forth and 
 consume me. Praised be thou that thou hast sealed up from 
 my knowledge this hour of sadness ; in order that I may, 
 while here, be ever able to enjoy thy goodness with a happy 
 mind. Let the uncertainty of my death instigate me to be- 
 come certain of my reconcilement to thee, and of my portion 
 in the blessed life to come ! 
 
 But, O Lord, how volatile and inconsiderate am I even 
 in regard to this truth ! At present I reflect earnestly on 
 my momentous alteration ; but in a few minutes I shall 
 have forgotten that I am a mortal man. Maintain in 
 my soul these ideas, which are so healthful for me, and 
 teach me under all accidents and vicissitudes to think of 
 my end and my mortality. Extract from this remem- 
 brance that bitterness which it contains for the sinful, and 
 discover to me the blessings which it offers to mv 
 hope and my spirit. Bring me to that happy frame of 
 mind that I may be able to say at the close of this day : 
 Thank God ! I have advanced nearer to eternity and my 
 happy consummation ! Thank God ! I have lived for 
 heaven ! 
 
 
WITH GOD 
 
 391 
 
 SEPTEMBER 21. 
 
 The Christian's Gain, Pleasure, Honour, and Efforts. 
 
 THOUSANDS are this morning occupied only with the thoughts 
 of their temporal ain, and the promotion and assurance of 
 their prosperity. Well will it prove for them if, in the at- 
 tainment of their views, they fail not in that gain which is 
 most profi tahle of all even godliness : for this it is which 
 alone affords us real advantages ; and this, O God, I sup- 
 plicate from thee in the present hour of morn. When in all 
 my actions, I look up to thee; when, through faith in Christ 
 I am certain of thy grace ; when I keep thy law always be- 
 fore my sight and in my heart ; O ! how rich and happy am 
 I then what an inestimable gain does my soul enjoy ! O ! 
 my Father, who art in heaven, assist me, through the power 
 of thy Spirit, to accomplish the purpose which I now form : 
 I will seek my chief gain in godliness. What gain can be 
 greater than that which can never be lost ! How vain is the 
 winning of a few gay moments on earth ! Teach me, O 
 God, always more to discern the great gain of godliness 
 and contentment with that which thou givest to me, and to 
 strive after it with that zeal which such a prize deserves. 
 
 My soul desires not to obtain short fleeting days of worldly 
 pleasure. All temporal joys are like the morning dew, which 
 indeed moistens and refreshes the grass, but afterwards for- 
 sakes it beneath the burning rays of the hot sun, when it 
 fades and becomes parched. They furnish me, it is true, 
 with a few delicious hours or minutes ; but the soul still feels, 
 after their possession, a dreary void, and sees itself, at last, 
 at the grave, deprived of all solace, and ready to perish with 
 unallayed thirst. Godliness instructs me to seek a nobler 
 gratification with thee, thou Source of all felicity, in the 
 consciousness of thy favour, in the conviction of my redemp- 
 tion through Christ, and in the hope of eternity ; for this 
 comprehends within itself delights which never prove fugi- 
 tive, and in the fruition of which the soul is never satiated. 
 To gain these delights let me entreat thee, O Father, who 
 art the bestower of them, faithfully and eagerly to exert the 
 recently invigorated faculties of my spirit. Let not the ho- 
 
39-2 
 
 COMMUNINGS 
 
 nour of being here exalted above others be the spur of my 
 endeavours, but the honour of becoming, as thy subject and 
 thy heir, acceptable to thee be this the ambition of my 
 aspiring soul ! 
 
 Jesus, my most perfect, my most loving guide ! thou 
 soughtest on earth not thy own honour, but the honour of 
 fny Father, as the happiest gain. Fulfil the wishes of my 
 heart, and render me similar to thy example and to thee. 
 Let it be left to thee to apportion to me earthly benefits ac- 
 cording toothy wisdom. Willingly will I be contented with 
 all that thy hand throws to me : and should it please thee, 
 my God, to prove me through the loss of temporal posses- 
 sions, then shall my heart, through patience and hope, ren- 
 der itself worthy of thy redemption. 
 
 SEPTEMBER 22. 
 
 The Happiness that endurethfor ever. 
 
 OUGHT I not in humble veneration, to admire thee and adore 
 thee, O thou who deservest homage and praise alike from 
 earth and heaven ? Each vicissitude of nature is a proof of 
 thy omnipotence, wisdom, and unbounded goodness. It is 
 thy hand, O Lord, which has robbed the decorated plains of 
 their ornaments ; but not ere they had refreshed us with 
 their fruits, satisfied us with their superfluity, and filled our 
 granaries with their riches. Their pomp, with which no 
 pomp of a princely throne can be compared, was not destined 
 for themselves. Our utility, our support, our pleasure were 
 the objects which thou, most kind preserver of our lives, 
 hadst in prospect in them. This view has been attained. 
 Now the beauty of the rural plain vanishes, but only so long 
 until thou sayest : Be green, ye fields ! Then will they, in 
 new magnificence, again grow verdant. With what especial 
 preference of love dost thou favour man among all thy crea- 
 tures ! How affectionately, how tenderly dost thou consult 
 for his happiness ! What is wanting to this happiness ex- 
 cept that it should perpetually last ? This eternal conti- 
 nuance of the utmost possible friendship, and of a tenderness 
 
WITH GOD. 
 
 that baffles all description, the true Christian can promise to 
 himself from thee alone. Of this he is persuaded, that how- 
 ever great may be the gifts with which thou overloadest him 
 in his passing existence, thou hast in store for him far higher 
 donations, which shall, without ceasing, gladden his soul in 
 yon everlasting life. It is indeed confessed that those, like- 
 wise, whom thou peculiarly lovest, here often endure nothing 
 but calamities ; feel nothing but grief. All around them 
 they behold a wilderness; they tread a sterile soil; nowhere 
 do they perceive the vestige of a shooting blade of vegeta- 
 tion. But soon is the desert changed into a paradise, and 
 their sorrow into ecstasy. The ground on which they stand, 
 and which appears to them so dry and barren, even this same 
 ground contains the seeds of an innumerable variety of 
 plants, herbs, and flowers, shut up within itself, which, in 
 due season, shall break forth to fill their pious souls with 
 rapture. 
 
 Render these thoughts, thou loving Father of mankind, 
 both to-day and during the whole period of my life, predomi- 
 nantly lively in my mind ; so that when the bright scenes of 
 the blooming valleys quit me, the sweet and recreating hope 
 of thy speedy help and plenteous blessing, which, on yonder 
 side of the dark grave, await my coming, may never leave 
 me. The decay of all earthly beauties, which is so visible 
 in every kingdom of nature, shall be to me a wholesome les- 
 son not to attach my heart too closely to them, but, at the 
 view of them, to turn both my heart and inclinations to that 
 happy land of spirits into which I shall one day enter. And 
 since this season of the year is so beneficent to man, let me 
 learn from nature to become a benefactor to my brethren, 
 and make visible the fruits of my righteous disposition. 
 Soon will the winter of my life be here, the favourableness 
 of which will entirely depend on the temper of my former 
 life. O Lord, make me rich in good works, that I may al- 
 ways be agreeable to thee. 
 
394 MORNING COMMUNTNG8 
 
 SEPTEMBER 23 
 
 The Christian compares himself to a Child. 
 
 I AM even as a child in knowledge, in inclination, and in 
 weakness. What is my knowledge ? What is my experi- 
 ence ? Nothing, in fact, but the knowledge and experience 
 of children. How can I, during the little time which I pass 
 on earth, collect treasures of experience ? What knowledge 
 can I procure for myself among so many obstacles which I 
 have not the means to vanquish? My best and most useful 
 years wing their flight amid numberless distractions, cares, 
 and disquietudes. I spend them like a babbling tale. And 
 if I, at length, succeed so far as to penetrate into some par- 
 ticular branch of knowledge, then does death presently in- 
 terrupt my occupation. Thus as long as I live I remain but 
 a child in knowledge. But I am also a child in my inclina- 
 tions : as children direct all their fancy to toys and play, so 
 even in maturity of age my wishes and endeavours are de- 
 voted to the world's vanities. For honour, wealth, amuse- 
 ments, and other carnal things, at which I so anxiously aim, 
 are nought but baubles and insignificant trifles, especially 
 when they are weighed in opposition to the concerns of reli- 
 gion. And what a child am I in weakness ! I stumble and 
 fall almost every moment, and my whole life would be a per- 
 petual falling if God himself guided me not as a child in the 
 leadingstrings of grace, guarding my tottering feet, and pre- 
 serving me from the dangers of false steps. 
 
 And this is my true happiness in my want of understand- 
 ing, and my weakness, that I have a Father so abundant in 
 love, who condescendingly accommodates himself to my child- 
 ish state, and bears with me with pitying affection. He 
 knows how feeble my powers are, and therefore he chooses 
 for me the even path. He raises me up when I fall. He 
 comforts me when I am sorry for my transgressions, and re- 
 ceives me again after I have turned away from him* He 
 knows that I am a child, that earthly objects charm me more 
 than the riches of heaven: he has patience with my infantine 
 propensities, and assists my imbecility while he promises to 
 me life, felicity, blessing, and tranquillity, and displays to me 
 
WITH GOD. 
 
 the happy prospect of heaven. Yes ; even as a father has 
 compassion on the fruits of his loins, so has the Lord com- 
 passion on all that fear him. 
 
 Merciful Father ! behold, I, thy simple, frail, and perverse 
 child, seek this day my asylum in thy pity. Come with thy 
 grace to the aid of my ignorance, sensuality, and inability. 
 Instruct me in celestial wisdom, govern my inclinations, and 
 support my feeble faculties. This day, likewise, will not 
 pass without its steps of error. Let thy commiseration 
 light upon me so often as I totter or slip : show thy indul- 
 gence to my incapacity, and grant me yet time that I may 
 become wise for salvation. And as I have been hitherto 
 like to children, in my wants and failings, so let me further 
 resemble them in their innocence, in their obedience, and in 
 their tender fondness. Let me live here as thy child, and 
 hereafter arrive at the heritage of thy children, through 
 Christ Jesus. 
 
 SEPTEMBER 24. 
 
 Nothing can compensate the Loss of the Soul. 
 
 THE loss of that which the world can bestow is not irreme- 
 diable, but the loss of the soul's tranquillity no other posses- 
 sion can supply. For what can man give that he may de- 
 liver his soul ? Were I, for the sake of my soul, compelled 
 to lose all that is valuable or enviable in the world, heaven 
 and its eternal felicity would indemnify me in an infinite 
 measure for all that I had sacrificed. I shall have no cause 
 to repent if I barter the prosperity of this existence for the 
 joy and glory which reign above. Those who, with a firm 
 resolution of mind, have offered up their earthly gratifica- 
 tions and their earthly felicity of heavenly goods, have re- 
 ceived here already so sweet a foretaste of the bliss which 
 awaits them, that they were even glad in their troubles. O ! 
 delightful change of short grief for everlasting rapture. 
 What life can be so fascinating, what pleasures so transport- 
 ing, what opulence so immense, what honour so brilliant, 
 that I should still hesitate whether to select earthly prospe- 
 or the beatitude of heaven? 
 
396 MORNING COMMUNINGS 
 
 Tins consideration ought to rouse me out of the sleep of 
 security, ought to subdue my indolence, to damp my extra- 
 vagant love for the world, and inflame my desire after a 
 better existence. How can I appear more in the character 
 of a man and a Christian, than when I highly esteem that 
 which moulds me into both? How can I more triumphantly 
 prove myself to be a follower of Christ than when I abstain 
 from all the vile lusts which war against the soul ? My way 
 runs along the edge of a gulf, out of which no rescue is pos- 
 sible. Shall I then heedlessly approach nearer to the brink 
 of the precipice, and play with so frightful a danger? Shall 
 the representations of God, shall the grace of his Son, and 
 the abandonment of his life for my soul, not have sufficient 
 dominion over me to induce me to make a profitable use of 
 my time of indulgence still vouchsafed to me ? Shall not 
 the inflictions of my own conscience, shall neither heaven 
 nor hell, deter me from that which may draw down irrevo- 
 cable calamity upon my soul ? O ! that I might, at length, 
 for once, descend into myself and reflect, with a pious spirit, 
 how heavy the obligations are in which I am bound to my 
 eternal salvation and to my immortal part ! How should I 
 then despise the frivolity, and, through the Divine support, 
 overcome the temptations, and escape all the deceptions of 
 the world ! 
 
 Be this then, on the present day, my chief endeavour, and 
 the object of all my cares, that I may preserve the health of 
 my soul, and happily escape all the perils that menace it. 
 Then should the future be pregnant with afflictions, I shall 
 endure them with comfort and fortitude, and my actions, like 
 my spirit, will be in heaven. 
 
 SEPTEMBER 25. 
 
 Lost Time irretrievable. 
 
 NOTHING bows me down and humbles me so much, as the 
 consciousness of having so often lost the most precious pe- 
 riod of my life in efforts of vanity, of self-interest, and avarice, 
 instead of employing it faithfully in the work of my refor- 
 
WITH OOD 397 
 
 mation, and of having so often neglected the opportunities of 
 virtue, which were presented to me. For lost time is irre- 
 trievable, and every good action which I perform is a sowing 
 of seed for eternity. Truly I am much happier than I de- 
 serve to be : God's grace has spared me and blessed me be- 
 yond all my deserts. This confession I am compelled to 
 make with abashment and remorse ! I am forced to own 
 that I have frequently merited to be unhappy, and to lose all 
 the advantages with which God has favoured me. I dare 
 not boast that I have any just claim to the healthfulness, to 
 the affluence, to the quiet, or to the safety with which God 
 has hitherto so richly blessed my existence ; for how often 
 have I myself shaken my health through cares, through unne- 
 cessary vexation and sorrow, or through my passion, through 
 anger and chagrin, through covetous restlessness, through 
 improvidence, and through levity of mind ! how often have I 
 abandoned myself to lasciviousness ! how often have I rendered 
 myself criminal through pride and haughtiness in the time of 
 success ! 
 
 O ! most beneficent God, do thou heal my numerous ini- 
 quities, and let me still further experience the effects of thy 
 Ion gsuffe ring. Let me meet thee with penitence and regret ; 
 and with an earnest humiliation on account of my past life, 
 and a firm determination in regard to my future days, turn 
 zealously to thee. I must no more have occasion to reproach 
 myself with having a most unthankful and insensible heart. 
 Rather must every new chastisement arouse me, and every 
 new benefit lead me to repentance. I shall on the present 
 day discover instances of righteousness and grace either in 
 myself or others. Thou, O God of never-failing kindness, 
 will to-day, as usual, shower down thy blessings upon me. 
 Ah ! let me but fulfil their views as sincerely, as I plainly 
 discern them in all that occurs to me. Thou wilt allure me 
 to contrition. Happiness and unhappiness, joy and sadness, 
 health and sickness, all are means through which thou seek- 
 est to render me a better Christian. Give me grace, that I 
 may avail myself of them to this blessed end, and employ 
 the new respite, which thou this morning grantest to me, in 
 striving to become ever more acceptable in thy sight. 
 
MORNING COMMUNTNGS 
 
 SEPTEMBER 26. 
 
 Supplication for Grace. 
 
 BY the space of one night more am I further advanced to- 
 wards my last barrier, and brought so much nearer to my 
 destination ! Would that I had also become worthier of my 
 exalted appointment than I was yesterday ! O ! with what 
 satisfaction could I commence this day, were I able to say to 
 myself with truth : I am this morning more pious, more de- 
 voted to God, more pleasing to the Lord than I was yester- 
 day ! This boast would be for me richer in blessings than 
 any other happiness which I enjoy. But can I really glory 
 as possessing any greater degree of righteousness than in my 
 past life ? If I judge myself ingenuously, and flatter not my 
 self-love, I must perceive that I am to-day equally as per- 
 verse, as earthly-minded, as lightly disposed, and as incon- 
 stant, as in the former periods of my existence. Yet how ? 
 Ought I longer to continue so to live, that this degrading 
 acknowledgment must be extorted from me? I draw ever 
 closer to the hour in which so very much, nay, everything, 
 will depend on the situation in which my soul is found. 
 And if I then in that extreme hour can say nothing better of 
 myself, than I am forced this morning to confess, how lament- 
 able will my fate be ! 
 
 Grant me yet, merciful God, the grace that I may pass 
 my lifetime more commendably, and be able to welcome my 
 final hour with a more consolatory consciousness. Make 
 me daily more worthy of my Christian calling. Eternal life 
 is the scope of my journey, and the road that leads thither is 
 rough and narrow. Let me not be decoyed from this path 
 by the example of the blindly prejudiced, who walk in ways 
 selected by themselves, and pay not heed to thy law ; who 
 vaunt of their happiness and their wisdom, though their hap- 
 piness is but a painted sepulchre, their wisdom lamentable 
 error. But can any one be happy when he forsakes thee, 
 thou fountain of life and felicity ! He that offends against 
 thy statutes wounds his own soul. And what does it avail a 
 man to gain the whole world, if he lose his own soul ? No, 
 I remain with thee, my Jeisus. I will not associate with 
 
WITH GOD. 399 
 
 those prosperous ones, as they are called, who have their 
 portion on this earth. They sow unrighteousness, and shall 
 reap sorrow. I will not walk with them but live guiltless 
 before thee. Thy word and thy atonement are dearer to me 
 than riches and honour : and thy favour is more valuable to 
 me than the love of ,the whole world. Thee have I chosen 
 for my friend and my guide, and this possession will not be 
 taken away from me. O ! when shall I see thy countenance, 
 O Lord ? So long as I have yet to live in this world, be 
 thou, my God, always with me, and watch over me, that I 
 may never go astray from thee and lose myself, but remain 
 eternally thine. 
 
 SEPTEMBER -27. 
 
 Adoration of the Angels 
 
 MENTALLY to contemplate thee in thy wonders, O thou in- 
 finite Being, and to adore and venerate thee in the dust, O 
 thou ineffable Deity, this constitutes the perpetual and happy 
 occupation of the celestial spirits. Man was not as yet 
 made> when thou hadst already formed these joyous inhabi- 
 tants of thy Sion, that they might be the witnesses of thy 
 marvels and of the creations of thy omnipotence. Then 
 did they shine like fire-flames, then with glad acclamation 
 exulted these thy children, and praised thee their Maker, 
 ever to be worshipped. Each work which thy hand, so 
 mighty in miracles, produced, struck them with deepest ad- 
 miration, and elevated their felicity to higher degrees of rap- 
 ture. But then were these spirits most profoundly and 
 chiefly entranced in astonishment, when thou fashionedst the 
 first man in the image of thyself. Now more and more 
 loudly resounded through heaven their " Holy ! holy ! holy ! " 
 and, full of ecstasy, they greeted this sole mortal of the earthly 
 world as their brother, and with him united their jubilee. 
 But what felt heaven when thou didst proclaim to him the 
 greatest wonder of thy love, even thy Son, as the Redeemer 
 of the earth ! O ! how longed the ethereal intelligences to 
 look into this mystery ! Yet remained it still concealed from 
 
 
400 MORNING COMMUNINGS 
 
 them, till thou in that momentous night vouchsafedst to ap- 
 point them the heralds of thy boundless mercy and con- 
 descension beyond parallel. 6 ! what must have been the 
 sensations of the angels, when they beheld thee, the reful- 
 gence of divine glory, obscured beneath the sorrowful veil of 
 human nature, while they with seraph-tongues celebrated in 
 vocal symphony the great event ! Now was it their delight 
 to dwell with men, as heretofore they trembled, when thou 
 wast constrained in thy equity to arm them with the flaming 
 sword against the fallen family of Adam. 
 
 my Redeemer, who am I ? As dust I cast myself at 
 thy feet, and with amazement there revere the bounty of thy 
 love. Angels may praise thee ; more I cannot do : their 
 thanks please thee, for their lips are purer ; but I a sinner, 
 wherewith have I to please thee ? Yet I will admire, prize, 
 and adore, the immensity of thy compassion. Never shall 
 my soul forget what thou, my Saviour, hast so greatly done 
 for it. It shall become the most assiduous employment of 
 my spirit to meditate upon the extraordinary manifestations 
 of thy tender pity, the vastness of thy merits, the grandeur 
 of thy work. 
 
 1 venerate and adore thee for all that thy incomprehen- 
 sible omnipotence has bestowed upon me, in the wide do- 
 mains of nature. The smallest blade of grass up to the 
 towering cedar, the minutest worm up to the elephant, are 
 proofs of thy universal power. Yet what would these 
 wonders be to me, if I were doomed to exist no longer than 
 they, if I had not to expect a new heaven and a new earth ? 
 I should envy the rocks which withstand all the devastations 
 of time, and, in comparison with the duration of the world, 
 mourn over my scanty life. But since I know that my life 
 is of eternal continuance, that I have obtained, through thy 
 redemption, the surest hope of a blessed immortality, O ! 
 how great, how fortunate must it now seem to me ! Lord, 
 teach me rightly to know the value of my destination, and 
 so to live, that at the close of my earthly pilgrimage I may 
 depart with the promise of eternal life into my heavenly 
 country. 
 
WITH GOD. 401 
 
 SEPTEMBER 28. 
 
 Comparison between the natural Harvest and the Fruits 
 of the Spirit. 
 
 FOR me, O thou exhaustless Source of blessing and salva- 
 tion ! for me hast thou replenished the present season with 
 the gifts of thy love. For me Spring blossomed ; for me 
 Summer ripened the golden corn ; for me, too, the trees now 
 yield their fruitage. On whatever side I turn my gaze, the 
 full streams of thy bounteousness pour along. The earlier 
 months were destined by thee to prepare for me the fruits of 
 thy bounty. Now are they matured; now by means of them 
 thou fillest every living being with comfort ; and I enjoy 
 them to the glory of thy name, O thou Giver of all good. 
 
 ! how manifold, my God, are thy gifts, with which the 
 bosom of the earth teems ! But where are the fruits with 
 which I, as a Christian, ought, through thy hands, to be 
 adorned ? Where are the virtues which are well pleasing to 
 thee, which promote thy honour, and conduce to the solace 
 of my brethren ? 
 
 I, too, am in the autumn of life. I have already lived 
 years enough : but can I show to thy honour even a few ripe 
 fruits ? Thy grace has not allowed me to be quite barren, 
 for which I praise thy goodness. Thou hast given me rea- 
 son to know and to admire thy perfections, and a heart to 
 love thee and long after thee. I began to exercise myself in 
 the duties of thy holy law ; and thenceforth determined to 
 hold the advancement of thy honour and the welfare of my 
 fellow-mortals as the chief aim of all my actions. Then did 
 my life first become agreeable to thee and happy to myself. 
 
 1 blessed each day and every moment in which I had per- 
 formed aught to thy glorification and to the advantage of 
 my brethren. Then did it first appear to me to regain its 
 early vernal bloom : yet where are these matured fruits 
 of righteousness which thou wilt justly demand of me at 
 its close ? 
 
 O ! how many fruits have been suppressed in the bud ! 
 'How much bitterness is still found in those which may have 
 come nearer to perfection ! How weak is my faith, when in 
 
402 I/IORNING COMMUNINGS 
 
 order to purify me thou appointest to me a few hours of 
 trouble ! How frightened is my soul, when under all the 
 taunts of the world, under all its persecutions and all its 
 slanders, I ought voluntarily to confess thy name and take 
 up thy cross ! How cold, how fickle is often the love with 
 which I should advance my neighbour's welfare ! 
 
 Yes, I must with shame acknowledge that I am a sterile 
 tree that bears no fruit. Let thy strength, O Jesus, come 
 to the assistance of my weakness ! Let thy righteousness 
 expiate my misdeeds ! It is my ardent wish that I may be 
 worthy of thy approbation and thy redemption. Anxiously 
 would I resemble thy example, and honour, by my conduct, 
 the name which I profess. But my desire will still continue 
 unaccomplished if thou thyself vouchsafest not to me grace 
 for this purpose. It is enough that my life has hitherto been 
 void of good works : my future time must be so much the 
 more abundant of them. O ! might the present day be the 
 commencement thereto. 
 
 O thou from whom my faith began, and through whom it 
 must be perfected, to thee do I utter my cry for thy blessing 
 and protection. Withdraw not from me thy support, but let 
 me, through thee, become strong in godliness, and finally at- 
 tain perfection in righteousness. 
 
 SEPTEMBER 29 
 
 Readiness for Death and Eternity. 
 
 IN order to make a happy progress in the way which leads 
 to heaven, watchfulness is indispensably needful to me ; for 
 on all sides my weak heart is enticed and hurried into temp- 
 tation, and on all sides the destruction of sin menaces it. 
 When I consider how uncertain the duration of my life is, 
 and how fragile my mortal body, the necessity of keeping 
 guard over myself presses upon me with a double conviction. 
 I pass many nights in which infirmities or disquiet will allow 
 me no sleep : ought not even this to rouse me to reflection, 
 and direct all my efforts to the concerns of death and eter- 
 nity ? I find myself in constant risk of losing my life : am 
 
WITH GOD. 403 
 
 I not then required to ask myself daily, whether I am pre- 
 pared to quit this world, and whether I am qualified to 
 render my account to the Lord ? Dare I still venture to 
 enter upon another day with unexpiated iniquities, and an 
 unsanctified soul? Even the conscious feeling of strong 
 health must not make me careless ; for how r many have I 
 already seen sink suddenly into the grave, while they con- 
 gratulated themselves on their firmness of constitution? It is 
 precisely this feeling which brings me into the greatest 
 danger of being lulled into slumber among my sins : here, 
 therefore, my vigilance must be augmented, and the import- 
 ance of caring for my soul must appear to me still more ur- 
 gent, should I be further advanced in life, and should have 
 already counted so many years, that nature forbids me to 
 expect a much longer abode on earth ; it then becomes of 
 instant necessity for me to shake off the drowsiness of my 
 soul, and accept salvation while it is yet offered to me. My 
 Judge approaches, nor will he pardon my negligence. Death, 
 his messenger, is already at hand. Shall I then unthink- 
 ingly wait till he surprises me in listlessness, and plunges me 
 into everlasting perdition ? 
 
 O Lord, through thy grace, I am awakened out of the 
 sleep of the body ! Awake now for evermore my soul out 
 of the slumber of sin. Let me not, in regard to my most 
 precious interests, act like a dreamer that is ignorant of his 
 state, and proceeds heedlessly towards his destruction. Let 
 me continually watch over my soul, my understanding, my 
 inclinations, and my senses, and never for a moment be re- 
 miss in the task. Each instant of time is uncertain. There 
 is no minute in which I can say, I shall not die. Never, 
 therefore, can I take upon myself to say : " This moment 
 I will sleep for a little, or be careless and secure." Every- 
 thing around me, through its own instability, reminds me of 
 death ; and ought I not to value these warnings, these re- 
 membrances of my duty, and not contemn rny spiritual 
 health ? How instant may my death be ! I feel as yet, 
 indeed, no disease, no mortal symptoms within me ; but in 
 the next hour my corporeal state may have undergone a rapid 
 alteration. I may already bo at issue with the gloomy victor. 
 It is well, I will listen to the mighty voice that now echoes 
 through my heart. Jesus cries : "Awake, ye that sleep, and 
 
 
404 MORNING COMMUNINGS 
 
 arise from the dead." I will hasten and tear myself from my 
 slumber, that wretchedness may not overtake me. 
 
 SEPTEMBER 30. 
 
 Review of the elapsed Month. 
 
 WHAT have I neglected ? and what have I performed ? 
 These are the interrogations to which, at the close of this 
 month, I must submit my heart. On their answer will it 
 depend, whether I am to look back with satisfaction or un- 
 easiness to this considerable portion of my allotted time. My 
 heart, be thou thyself now thy own judge ! I will hearken to 
 thy decision. 
 
 What have I this month neglected? Have I truly exer- 
 cised that goodness for which each day offered me encou- 
 ragement and opportunity ? Have I remarked how God and 
 rny conscience instigated me to this virtue, or frightened me 
 from that vice ? Have I felt the high duties, to which as a 
 man and a Christian, I am bound ? Have I disposed of my 
 time to advantage, and employed it prudently ? Here I might 
 have celebrated the glory of my Creator ; and I was silent. 
 There I might have served my brother through my aid and 
 counsel ; but I did not. The opportunity of obtaining a vic- 
 tory over my passions presented itself to me, yet I yielded 
 myself to their destructive dominion ; I abandoned myself 
 rashly and headlong to their instinctive suggestions. I pos- 
 sessed so many means of enlightening my understanding, and 
 rendering my will better ; yet I have become neither wiser 
 nor more pious. Alas ! how much I have neglected ! 
 
 But what have I, on the contrary, done during this period ? 
 I recollect that on the first day of this month, now hastening 
 to its end, 1 formed the best resolutions to consecrate my life 
 to God. But scarcely had a few hours elapsed, when my 
 determination was already wavering, my zeal cooled. I used 
 my time as if it had been my own property, and acted as if I 
 ought to live for the world alone. Throughout the whole ex- 
 tent oi the period to which I direct my retrospection, I hardly 
 discover as many commendable deeds as it contains weeks 
 
 
WITH GOD. 405 
 
 Numberless hours and days are void of good works. How 
 little I have done ! How little for the benefit of iny immor- 
 tal soul, how little in order that I may hereafter appear with 
 joyfulness at God's tribunal. 
 
 And this is an account framed for myself and my own con- 
 science. How should I be able to deliver one up to thee, 
 thou Omniscient? To thee all my slighted duties, all my 
 committed follies, all my concealed defects are disclosed and 
 evident, for thou searchest into me and knowest me, thou un- 
 derstandest my thoughts from afar. Ah ! enter not with me 
 into judgment ! This is all that I can pray for. Grant me 
 grace that I may properly occupy the close of the month, 
 and repair that which I have left undone. In proportion as 
 I have hitherto been supine in the practice of righteousness, 
 let me to-day be zealous to perform thy most equitable plea- 
 sure. Amid so many squandered and visionary hours, may 
 there yet be ONE which I must devote to my salvation ! 
 Amid so many misspent days, may this day be made to be 
 that happy da} r of my existence which I employ according to 
 thy views, and in unison with thy approbation and my own 
 happiness in eternity ! 
 
 OCTOBER 1. 
 
 The Necessity for, and Comfort of, Divine Aid. 
 
 MOST melancholy and comfortless, O my God, would be my 
 condition, were I compelled to go forward to the uncertain 
 future, without faith in thy providence, thy wisdom, and thy 
 goodness. For if to-day, at my entrance into a new portion 
 of time, I feel not terrified at considering, that all human feli- 
 city so soon arid so speedily fails, and that the sharpest sorrow 
 may tread upon the heels of joy ; I owe this courage to the 
 belief that thou producest the good day as well as the^evil one, 
 that thou woundest and healest again, and never failest to ma- 
 nifest thyself to thy children. 
 
 I cannot form a conception sufficiently terrible of my state, 
 should I be deprived of thy support and blessing. A series 
 of one-and-thirty days, the period which I see before me in 
 
406 MOKNI.NG COMMUNINGS 
 
 the present month, would then be for me a century of torment. 
 For since I am so weak and helpless a creature, that I can- 
 not dispense with thy upholding grace for a single day, or 
 even a single hour, were it possible for me to live so many 
 days successively, without being assured of thy stay and de- 
 fence ; with the most affected and penetrated heart do I praise 
 thee, my compassionate God, that I am able to derive so 
 much consolation and so much elevation of mind, from my 
 conviction of thy providence. In the never-deceiving reliance, 
 that thou for the sake of Jesus will be my God, I IOOK forward 
 without anxiety to every day of the month which now awaits 
 me. I should doubtless find many occasions of disquiet, did I 
 think of the sins which I shall commit, of the temptations 
 that await me, of the bodily frailties to which I am sub- 
 jected, and of the numerous inevitable accidents attendant 
 on mortal life ; I do not, however, yield myself to apprehen- 
 sion, but turn my eyes to thee, my God, and my protector. 
 With thee there abide grace and much forgiveness ; if op- 
 pressed with the burden of my offences, I seek thy mercy. 
 Thou art the strong God, who rescuest me out of all my temp- 
 tations, liberatest me from all my weaknesses, and canst turn 
 all disasters to my advantage. I will not take care to myself 
 as the heathens, but as a Christian pour all my solicitudes 
 and necessities into thy bosom. Whether on this day or on 
 any other, prosperous or adverse incidents occur to me, whe- 
 ther I am well or sick, happy or unhappy, let thy will be 
 done, for what thou doest is good. 
 
 But perhaps I shall not see even the end of this day, and 
 far less the close of the commenced month. Perhaps thou 
 hast decreed, that even to-day I shall die, and when a new 
 month returns to my brethren, be already in heaven, and from 
 that blessed spot contemplate the world with far different sen- 
 timents. O ! how can I tremble at this thought of my de- 
 cease, since death will bear me to thee, and to the dwellings 
 of eternal peace ! O be this alone then my wish, that I may 
 obtain from thee the grace to expire placidly and happily. 
 Lord, triune God, bless me and guard me. Guarded and 
 blessed by thee, no calamity will reach me, no danger over- 
 throw me, no weakness subdue me, no sin plunge me into de- 
 spair, no death render me wretched. 
 
WITH GOD. 407 
 
 OCTOBER 2. 
 
 Confidence in Divine Succour. 
 
 THAT I can behold this day with a soul tranquil and free from 
 trouble, is an effect of the trust which I place in the almighty 
 goodness of my God, of the confidence with which I commend 
 to.him my ways, of my hope in him, and of the submission with 
 which I resign myself to his will. And in how lively a manner 
 does each incident of my life encourage me in this reliance, and 
 in this hope ! how rich is the experience of my days in memo- 
 rials of the divine wisdom and kindness, in wonders of the 
 omnipotence, and in evidences of the tender care of my Father 
 above. Through affiance in this all-powerful efficacy of the 
 Deity, I am enabled to surmount every difficulty and every 
 danger. For the Almighty is infinitely benignant. He loves 
 me with more ardour than that which warms the cherishing 
 bosom of maternal fondness. His goodness prompts him 
 continually to interest himself for me, and to manifest his 
 boundless power in my behalf. And what a ravishing idea 
 is it, when I reflect that this goodness is liable to no alteration, 
 but endures from eternity to eternity ! 
 
 Well it is for me, that the Lord of heaven and of earth 
 is my ally, and that my hope rests on the Almighty, who 
 has made heaven, earth, sea, and all that is therein. How 
 should I ever yield up such a hope, or cast away my re- 
 liance, since I know that they have so great a reward ? No, 
 not even the most woful events of my life shall at any time 
 enfeeble my hope ; where human assistance is nugatory, 
 there must my security in God increase. The more my 
 hope augments, the more contented shall I become. All 
 my friends may leave me desolate : the Lord is my perfectly 
 sufficient friend. Darkness may spread its thickest shades 
 of palpable obscurity around me ; the Lord is my illuminat- 
 ing brightness. Innumerable perils may threaten me ; the 
 Omnipotent is my protector and deliverer. Let the frailties 
 of my body be ever so great; the Lord is my strength. 
 Let my death be as bitter as imagination can suggest ; God 
 is my life's vigour and my eternal health. Cases may occur 
 in the course of my existence, which I can neither foresee 
 rior determine; under all circumstances, however, the Lord 
 
408 MORNING COMMUNING3 
 
 remains my dependence, my expectation, the rock of my 
 stability. In this disposition I enter upon the present day, 
 and I humbly supplicate thee, merciful God, that thou wilt 
 retain me in it to my end. Conquer through thy Spirit all 
 unbelief and fickleness in my heart, and raise me to such a 
 state, that I may anticipate from thy goodness everything that 
 is good. Let me live to thy honour ; so wilt thou glorify thy 
 beneficence in me hereafter. 
 
 OCTOBER 3. 
 
 The Sacrifices enjoined by Christianity compared with its 
 Rewards. 
 
 WHY am I frightened at the hardships and the sacrifices 
 which, as a disciple of Jesus Christ, I ought to impose up- 
 on myself? Why does my heart fail at the view of the 
 rugged, thorny path in which duty conducts my steps ? 
 Ought I not to be cheerful and comforted, since I know that 
 heaven will recompense me for everything? And is not 
 God mighty in my weakness when I supplicate him for sup- 
 port ? And is then the way of vice no rough and thorny 
 track ? O ! how blind am I not to perceive the dangers and 
 the ruin of the broad road ! Compare, on one side, the 
 offerings which the world demands with the reward which it 
 promises, and which is still so uncertain. Compare, on the 
 other side, the attention which the salvation of the soul 
 exacts, with the inestimable benefits which it allows thee to 
 hope for, in perfect security. Thou wilt then be aware that 
 for the countless afflictions which it causes to its children, 
 the world never indemnifies them. But thou wilt find, on 
 the contrary, that the sufferings and the struggle, which thy 
 solicitude for immortal blessedness imposes upon thee, can 
 stand in no competition with that remuneration which suc- 
 ceeds them. And how canst thou complain of the irksome- 
 ness of thy pilgrimage, when thou rememberest how much 
 toil, how great a conflict, what severe visitations it cost thy 
 Jesus, to mark out to thee the route by which thou art to 
 follow him ? To reconcile heaven with earth, to vanquish 
 
WITH GOD. 409 
 
 hell, and to obtain heaven itself for thy patrimony, how long 
 was he obliged to be divested of his celestial glory, in what 
 poverty and contempt was he pleased to live, and under what 
 indescribable agonies had he to taste the bitterness of death ! 
 And thou wouldst be dissatisfied though the way is already 
 made plain for thee, though the greatest obstacles are already 
 cleared off, and though, at the termination of thy course, so 
 noble a prize awaits thee ? 
 
 No, my Jesus, I will no longer lament over the toils of 
 the Christian path. I will rather cheerfully resolve even to- 
 day to pursue that path which is prescribed to me. I will 
 allow myself to be terrified by no laboriousness from fight- 
 ing the good fight of faith and obtaining eternal life. How 
 insignificant are in reality all the pains and grievances which 
 I am called to endure in this effort. Even the bitterest cup 
 that will be presented to me is far from being that cup which 
 thou wast constrained to drink to its last dregs. Even the 
 strictest self-denial can in nowise be compared with that 
 to which thou didst submit ; even the most insulting wrongs 
 are trifles to the unjust ignominy which thou wast reduced 
 to bear. Even the most excruciating death is gentle when 
 placed in opposition to that feeling of expiring anguish under 
 which thou drewest thy last breath. And how long will it 
 last ? Then is the way at an end ; then are the steeps 
 climbed; then is the battle finished ; then are the dangers 
 overcome, and I find myself, at length, in my celestial 
 home, where, in the enjoyment of unutterable felicity, I shall 
 easily forget that I have here endured labour and fatigue. 
 
 OCTOBER 4. 
 
 The Value of a good Name after Death. 
 
 THE consciousness of being beloved by others belongs in- 
 contestably to the purest joys of earthly existence ; and it is 
 a heart-cheering thought to know that after death we shall 
 be wept and mourned over by sincere friends, and followed 
 by the regret of upright men. This will be the best eulo- 
 gium of my life, if the pious, as they stand around my bier, 
 
410 MORNING COM MUNI NGS 
 
 exclaim : Would that he had lived longer ! On the con- 
 trary, what pain must the idea occasion me that, at my de- 
 cease, not myself, but my money and my possessions, will 
 be extolled ! No, I will leave this fame to fools. I will so 
 live that I may not go out of the world disregarded and un- 
 lamented. I will give to all who know me the justest cause 
 to keep me in blessed memory, and to hold me equally wor- 
 thy of due applause and of unfeigned grief. If I live equit- 
 ably, mercifully, temperately, and righteously, my very 
 enemies will be forced to admire my virtues, and, notwith- 
 standing their malice, be obliged to form a fair judgment of 
 my character. And how soothing will it be to my friends 
 and relatives, if I bequeath to them the consolation that my 
 soul is in the mansions of rest, that I have lived in the fear 
 of the Lord, and into his hand commended my spirit. How 
 will they then wipe the tears from their cheeks, and desire 
 nothing further than soon to be reunited to me for ever ! 
 
 To-day, therefore, will I begin to live in such a manner, 
 that though I should even shortly die, my death may be of 
 good repute and happy. In order to obtain this felicity, I 
 need not first wish for hoary years. Though I should de- 
 part from the world in the bloom of my life, I have lived for 
 a sufficient period if I have lived in holiness and integrity. 
 Gray-headed men die, and yet die not wise ; no sigh of sor- 
 row breathes upon their grave ; and the only merited epitaph 
 that could be placed over them would tell no other tale than 
 that their lives had been long enough. 
 
 No, no, not that I live long, but that I have lived wisely 
 and to God's honour ; this must be my glory, and in the hour 
 of death my comfort. I must shape my life after such a 
 model, that no votary of virtue and religion may retire from 
 my tomb without hallowing my memory, or without being 
 edified by my example. Yet it is possible that I may die un- 
 known and unmourned by men. But if I then only obtain 
 the praise of my Judge, and the approbation of my Redeemer, 
 and if I am only admitted into the community of the blessed, 
 so shall I be well pleased though no monument record my 
 name, and no human being deplore my loss. I will hence- 
 forth especially strive after the renown which is with God. 
 This will indeed refresh my soul when it feels the terrors ot 
 death. 
 
WITH GOD. 411 
 
 OCTOBER 5. 
 
 Spiritual Perils. 
 
 As the mariner, when he has entrusted himself to the insecure 
 ocean, must be every hour prepared to encounter perilous 
 storms, that may deliver him over to death, so also must 
 man on his life's voyage, since everywhere dangers both of 
 body and of soul surround him. Every moment does he run 
 the risk of losing his innocence, his quiet, and even his im- 
 mortal spirit itself. When I regard the world in this light, I 
 discover the strongest inducements to watchfulness and to the 
 strict care of my soul. For what is the world but a state of 
 distraction, of vanity, and of disorder ? And what a tyrannical 
 dominion do anxieties, wealth, and sensual lusts, exercise over 
 my heart; how many hindrances likewise lie in my way, as 
 I endeavour to work out my salvation, and how much do 
 they often prevent me from consulting the real good of my 
 soul ! 
 
 As soon as my heart abandons itself to earthly solicitudes, 
 I experience nothing but uneasiness and discontentment. 
 And how numerous are the occasions of which my perverse 
 heart avails itself for the indulgence of these anxieties ! Some- 
 times I fret myself about the past, and am displeased that God 
 has led me differently from what, according to my own fool- 
 ish plans, ought to have been the course of my life. Some- 
 times it -is the future about which I torment myself. I am 
 already now so weak ; how weak shall I be hereafter ! I am 
 already now in so much need ; where shall I find my support 
 after a lapse of years ? At another time I am discontented 
 with the present. However great the blessings God bestows 
 upon me, I am still dissatisfied. If he lays the most trifling 
 and lightest burden upon me, it appears intolerable. And if 
 to all this be added that inclination for terrestrial possessions 
 and enjoyments, which seems my master passion, my distrac- 
 tion becomes yet greater. Then the most momentous con- 
 cerns are stripped of their value in my estimation, and hea- 
 ven and hell appear to me of no importance. And when my 
 condition has arrived at this point, I am only a few steps re- 
 moved from my ruin. 
 
412 MORNING COMMUNINGS 
 
 And can I be indifferent under these thoughts ? No, I 
 will employ the hours of solitude to meditate upon myself 
 arid upon the world. I will, ere I yet mingle again with the 
 temptations of life, arm my heart against them, and embrace 
 the firm resolve to seek my everlasting felicity with fear and 
 trembling. I have cause to be distressed on account of my 
 vain heart. Arid soon should I be overpowered, if I made bold 
 to expose myself to the world, confiding in my own individual 
 strength. With me there is no force to resist the might of 
 vanity, the lusts of the flesh, and the enticements of sin. I 
 flee to thee, my God : do thou make me strong to fight 
 against vice and its allurements. Be thou the guardian of my 
 soul, that perdition may not seize it by surprise. Display to 
 me the snares which are laid for my virtue, and deliver my 
 feet out of the nets that are spread for my innocence. Only 
 through thee can I gain the victory over all temptations, and 
 save my eternal soul, which without thee must be irretriev- 
 ably lost. From this destiny preserve me, O merciful God I 
 Let me rather, I beseech thee, carry off the prize of my faith, 
 namely, my soul's salvation, through Jesus Christ my Saviour. 
 
 OCTOBER 6. 
 
 Contempt of God's Grace. 
 
 I RECEIVE every morning, reiterated through my conscience, 
 a solemn appeal no longer to abuse the grace of my God, arid 
 no longer to shut my heart against his call. O ! if I did but 
 maturely reflect how weighty, how inestimable the blessing 
 is which God offers to my soul through his promises, how 
 would it be possible for me to resist them ! It is in some 
 measure magnanimous to refuse the favour of a potentate, and 
 the gift of the greatest riches ; but it can never be styled glo- 
 rious to slight the invaluable salvation which is destined to 
 my immortal spirit, and to underrate those things which shall 
 render it blessed to all eternity; were not this rather the most 
 lamentable blindness? Is it not only contemning but also 
 dishonouring God's blessings, and himself who presents them 
 to us. If I had that reverence for God in my heart, which 
 
WITH GOD. 413 
 
 I owe him, if I held in consideration either his fender love or 
 my own welfare I should show myself more zealous in the 
 service of the Lord than heretofore. When I am absorbed 
 in temporal affairs, or when I squander my time in debauch- 
 ery and riot, have I then any heed for myself and for my 
 soul ? And if I am so careful and so industrious in the ac- 
 quirement of worldly advantages, but negligent and indifferent 
 in respect to those things which affect iny eternal happiness, 
 what else do I manifest by this conduct, than that I deem 
 earthly property more desirable than even my own soul and 
 its everlasting welfare ? 
 
 I have yet time to remove this blindness, and to turn from 
 this inconsistency. Many are the years I have dissipated 
 with an extravagance that admits of no apology ; from the 
 present day, however, I must begin duly to value my soul, 
 that is beyond everything besides, and no longer trifle with 
 a possession purchased with no less a treasure than the blood 
 of the Son of God. What then are the cherished objects for 
 which I relinquish God and his grace, and my own spiritual 
 peace ? Have I really ever found so much pleasure in sin or 
 in the vanities of the world, that I should be willing to become 
 for them eternally miserable? How shall I hereafter judge 
 of my sinful errors, when I once draw near to my death ! 
 What a sad result will then the contempt of the divine grace 
 have for me ! If temporal ruin and destruction are already 
 frightful, what must eternal perdition be! If the anguish of 
 the mind and the pains of the body already occasion so many 
 tears, how infinitely poignant must be the torture both of soul 
 and body in hell ! If a consuming fire, which yet cannot 
 continue longer than till the combustible material is burnt up, 
 is so terrible, how dreadful must be the agony of the incur- 
 ably wounded conscience ! 
 
 6 God, let me consider this, while thou still to-day givest 
 me time to think upon it. Let me deem it an incalculable 
 mercy that I shall enjoy a respite to become penitent, to en- 
 treat from thee thy grace, to dispose wisely of my time, and 
 to retract from unrighteousness. To this beneficial aim must 
 the new day be devoted. Then will God forgive me my former 
 disrespect of his divine grace, and vouchsafe to me that feli- 
 city which is prepared in heaven for his children. 
 
 
414 MORNING COMMUNINGS 
 
 OCTOBER 7. 
 The present World only a State of Trial. 
 
 FREQUENTLY do I complain of the toilsomeness and the 
 troubles of life, of the conflict which I have to sustain, of the 
 joys which I have to sacrifice, and of the calamities which I 
 have to suffer or to dread. But do I also consider what it 
 is that I lament? Is all the inconvenience which I endure 
 of such importance as to merit these bitter wailings and this 
 sore vexation? Do I likewise balance the gratifications 
 which God bestows upon me with the sorrows which he 
 sometimes allows me to feel ? Do I think of my brethren 
 who have yet more distresses to burden them than I have, 
 and who are obliged to struggle against poverty, calumny, 
 pains, and diseases ? I, perhaps, am free from all these se- 
 vere trials ; my afflicted fellow-mortals would perhaps wil- 
 lingly exchange their sufferings with mine. And even 
 granting that I am a prey to everything that can embitter 
 the heart of man, did not the martyrs undergo much more 
 than I do? They were in perpetual danger of death, and 
 constantly exposed to the most frightful torments and the 
 hottest persecutions. Penury, contempt, slander, and sick- 
 ness, are but trifles when compared to their tortures, at the 
 bare name of which human nature absolutely shudders. 
 
 What are my sufferings what are the sufferings of all 
 martyrs, in competition with those which my Saviour was 
 constrained to support ? Truly nothing more than as a drop or 
 water to the sea. The sins which make me smart, wounded him 
 far more deeply. Dare I mention the cup of misery which is 
 presented to me, in the same sentence with that which the 
 holy and the undefiled Jesus was compelled to drink? 
 
 And have I not, in my small portion of wretchedness, the 
 consolation that it cannot continue long? But the Saviour 
 must always endure the opposition of sinners, and still inces- 
 santly behold his work injured by the hands of the iniquitous. 
 And how much encouragement do I find in the sufferings of 
 Jesus to bear my own with greater fortitude ! I see, from his 
 example, that God does not deal so severely with me, when 
 he gives me a load to carry, as he did with his own Son. 
 
WITH GOD. 415 
 
 Why should I walk on roses, when his Only-begotten trod 
 in so thorny a path ? Even though I had to surmount in- 
 sult and disgrace, violence, injustice, envy, and even death 
 itself, what right should I have to murmur? Has not the 
 Son of God submitted to all these for me ? Do I live in a 
 mean, despised station ? O ! then I must remember Jesus, 
 who, although he was in the divine similitude of the God- 
 head, assumed the appearance of a servant ; who, though he 
 was rich, became on my account poor. Am I wrongfully 
 debased and calumniated ? Then I must contemplate Christ, 
 whose humiliation was inconceivably more grievous. Do I 
 find myself labouring under cares, anxieties, sorrow, and 
 toil ? O ! then I must call to mind the death-pangs, the 
 bloody sweat, and the horrors of the cross of my Redeemer. 
 Does the period of my deliverance seem long in arriving? 
 O ! then must I contemplate his glorious consummation, and 
 through him expect as happy an issue to my life. 
 
 If I put these sentiments into practice, with what compo- 
 sure and tranquillity shall I meet all the cares and troubles 
 which the present day may bring with it ! 
 
 OCTOBER 8. 
 
 Unjustifiableness of our Complaints and Murmurings. 
 
 FOR me, who have made so small an advance in amendment, 
 melancholy is the idea, O God, which now rises in my soul, 
 when I think that I have perhaps this morning awoke for 
 the last time in the world, that for the last time I pray to 
 thee, and for the last time enter into the society of my 
 brethren ! And yet this consideration contains much proba- 
 bility. I am a falling leaf, a withering flower, a passing 
 shadow, a fragile, perishable man. Numberless events may 
 occur to bring death upon me ; the germ of dissolution, al- 
 ready in my body, may ripen into fatal maturity ; or some 
 violent accident, occasioning as many disorders in my soul 
 as in my corporeal frame, may suddenly sink me in the 
 grave. A distemper may seize me, the impetuosity of which 
 shall, in a few hours, render me an inanimate corse. The 
 i'all of a stone, an unlucky step, a wrong movement, an un- 
 
41G MOIIMXG COMMUNING S 
 
 expected fright, a fit of immoderate anger, and a thousand 
 other things which I cannot foresee, may deliver me up to 
 death. The time and hour of my death are to me an impe- 
 netrable secret. No morning brings me the assurance that I 
 shall remain in health till the evening, and no evening gua- 
 rantees to me that my final malady shall not assail me in the 
 night. Neither do I know, whether among favourers or 
 foes, among my connexions or among strangers, in repose or 
 in the tumult of the world, in abundance or in want, in the 
 social circle, or in helpless loneliness, I shall yield up the 
 ghost ! How many circumstances combine to call forth my 
 first thought, that perhaps I pray for the last time in this 
 world ! 
 
 And if this supposition should be actually realized, if this 
 should be my last morning prayer, could I, with a tranquil 
 heart, behold the hour which was for ever to close the lips 
 that now move in devotional address to my God ? Alas ! O 
 Lord, were I to die in the state of mind in which I still am, 
 my perdition would be irremediable ! Therefore do I im- 
 plore thee to grant me grace, through worshipping and 
 watchfulness, to prepare myself for that ultimate destiny 
 which must, beyond all doubt, overtake me. Perhaps I 
 pray for the last time : so much the more ardent, so much 
 the more sincere, must my devotion henceforth be. Perhaps 
 this is the last day of my life: the more zealously must I 
 therefore endeavour to employ it well, and wisely to profit by 
 every hour which is granted to me, for the salutary purpose 
 which has this instant been the theme of my entreaty to the 
 Almighty ! Perhaps I mix to-day for the last time in the 
 company of my brethren: so much the more then must my 
 love for them increase, and the more faithful must I be in 
 the performance of the duties which my vocation demands 
 from me ! Perhaps this is the last day in which I shall ex- 
 perience the adversities of life: the more patient will I 
 therefore be in the endurance of all hardships, and the more 
 constant and courageous under all circumstances ! I suppli- 
 cate thee for thy grace, loving, benevolent Father, that I 
 may succeed in wisely using to my everlasting well-being 
 the time which thou mayst yet allot to me. Then may 
 death surprise me at any season, and in any situation ; I 
 filiall not fear it, but calmly commit my soul to thee. 
 
WITH GOD. 417 
 
 OCTOBER 9. 
 
 Reflections un the Alternation of Day and Night. 
 
 THE vicissitude of day and night is undoubtedly a most be- 
 neficent dispensation of the Creator, but still it belongs to 
 the imperfections of this world. For our incapability of ex- 
 isting without the refreshment of nocturnal rest is a proof of 
 our weakness and frailty; and the helpless condition in 
 which darkness places us, and the involuntary horror which 
 it excites in our hearts, is also a sad memorial of our natural 
 weakness, and reminds us strongly of our complete depend- 
 ence upon Him before whom darkness is not darkness, but 
 the night shineth as the day. Is it not, therefore, a cheering 
 thought for our minds, that there will arrive a period when 
 night shall be no more; when the day of our immortal life 
 shall have burst forth over the horizon of eternity ? The in- 
 habitants of heaven are never tired and languid; they re- 
 quire no sleep. As long as I remain in this inferior world; 
 I perceive that night interrupts all occupation ; but the employ- 
 ment of heaven is never disturbed. In that happy region 
 neither indolence nor inactivity, nor vacant or idle space of 
 time, ever occurs. In this present world the hours of the 
 night being spent without occupation, they appear to us long 
 and dreary when our eyes keep watch, and repose flies from 
 us. But in heaven the whole progression of futurity is light 
 and life, lively occupation and industry united to perpetual 
 sanctity and joy. So long as I remain here on the earth, the 
 darkness of nature often exposes rne to the danger of losing 
 my way, of running into error, or falling into misfortune ; 
 but in the celestial kingdom there is no danger of this de- 
 scription to be dreaded. All heaven is illuminated by the 
 presence of God : the steps of that world are all pleasure, 
 and eternal noontide shines over them without cessation. 
 When night invades the skies, all the delights of vision 
 vanish : but in heaven the glory of the new world is always 
 brilliant to the view. The beauteous scenes of Paradise will 
 never be taken from us ; we shall there constantly behold a 
 rich variety of such things as no eye has seen, no ear has 
 heard, and no imagination conceived. As long as I live on 
 
 2E 
 
418 MORNING COMMUNINQS 
 
 the earth, night often reigns in my spirit. My heart seldom 
 feels that mental ardour which God demands. How cold is 
 oftentimes my zeal for the glorification of the most high and 
 most benign Being ! How slothful and indifferent am I 
 frequently in regard to my soul's salvation ! How deficient 
 is my soul itself in that proper fire and passionate sincerity 
 which ought to animate its devotion ! But when my soul has 
 entered into its inheritance in heaven, the most sacred ear- 
 nestness will glow through all my holy occupations, and I 
 shall know no languor, no obstacles, and no indifference. 
 Finally, the regular return of night at each day's close, forms 
 an unceasing emblem of death. Night and the sleep of night 
 are in themselves a short state of suspended life. But as in 
 heaven there is no night, so neither has death nor ought that 
 resembles death admittance there. Life and busy action 
 pervade its interminable space. All faculties are there in- 
 vulnerable to decay, and all activity flourishes unwearied ; 
 for the mortal, perishable body no more oppresses the spirit. 
 To all these enjoyments shall I attain, when the morning 
 of the resurrection dawns. But here, so long as I continue 
 in this world, where day and night, light and darkness, labour 
 and rest, succeed in constant revolution, I will live in per- 
 petual expectation of that momentous change, arid will 
 strive to render myself, through faith and godliness, worthy 
 of the happiness which awaits me eternally before the throne 
 of Jesus. 
 
 OCTOBER 10. 
 Human Wisdom contrasted with Divine, 
 
 IT is my sacred duty, that I should act conformably to the 
 wise and benevolent will of my Creator, and in all that I do, 
 seek to co-operate with his views. As a rational creature, 
 man ought to imitate the unsearchable wisdom of God, who 
 impressed on the soul of the first mortal this power of choos- 
 ing and rejecting. But, alas ! the wisdom so imparted to the 
 human race was lost. On a careful observance of my soul 
 I perceive this truth with sorrow. How often do I igno- 
 
WITH GOD. 419 
 
 rantly choose those things from which I ought to fly ! How 
 often, on the contrary, do I shun objects which deserve my 
 attachment ! The power of the senses is so strong, that it 
 bears me down, and often represses in my spirit all its better 
 emotions and sentiments. Wealth, honour, and pleasure, 
 these are the molten images before which I fall, and from 
 which I expect tranquillity and happiness. And if I some- 
 times make a good selection, it happens chiefly because thou- 
 sands have so decided already ! and on this account also I 
 Dnly employ their means, without desiring to discover any 
 new plan which might perhaps be more effectual towards 
 the attainment of my aim. 
 
 How completely different does the wisdom of my God in 
 this respect appear to me ! His purposes and views are 
 always the best. But how inscrutable, how incomprehensible 
 are frequently his designs ! At one time we see that the 
 most profound wisdom is concealed where those who affect 
 sagacity think that they discern injustice. At another, that 
 in compliance with his intelligence a dry staff shoots out 
 buds; and that, for the refreshment of a multitudinous people, 
 a dry rock pours forth its gushing waters. 
 
 Under all circumstances his unfathomable knowledge is 
 visible. The fallen foliage of autumn must rot in order that 
 it may, in the ensuing spring, re-assume in new shoots a yet 
 more beautiful green. O ! what a consolation is it for thee, 
 my soul, when, illuminated by the Divine radiance, thou canst 
 discover a small vestige of the marvellous ways of divine 
 wisdom, and when rapt in admiration thou humbly adorest 
 the Unsearchable ! Here thou seest a Joseph, the prop of 
 his father's age, sold by his envious brothers, that he might 
 at once become their preserver, and the preserver of a whole 
 nation. There thou perceivest one and the same instrument 
 employed by God as the instrument of curse and blessing. 
 The waves of the sea are forced to recoil and to tower them- 
 selves up like walls on each side to protect Israel, and to 
 punish Pharaoh for his obduracy. Again thou beholdest 
 Christ's church universally afflicted. Hatred, cruelty, and 
 barbarity conspire with the gates of hell to shake the founda- 
 tions of the faith. But these very attacks give new vigour 
 and divine strength to the Christian faith. 
 
 O Lord, maintain in me these comfortable thoughts, and 
 
420 MORNING COMMUNINQS 
 
 teach me to act according to thy good pleasure. Hereafter 
 I shall acquire more distinct ideas of thy providence, and be 
 constrained with rapture to confess that thou, O Lord, hast 
 ordained everything with perfect wisdom. 
 
 OCTOBER 11. 
 
 The Mysleriousness of God's Ordinances and Dispen- 
 sations. 
 
 HAPPY is it for me, that I believe with confidence, that the 
 ways of God are pure love and truth ; and that my faith 
 points out to me the ordinances of eternal wisdom, even 
 where my weak heart is troubled and afraid. Wherefore 
 should I bewail the evils of this life, since I know that they 
 conduce to my peace, that they cleanse my heart, elevate my 
 spirit, and confirm my faith ? Wherefore should I foolishly 
 inquire why God has not made the world and myself more 
 perfect? Only an infinite understanding can comprehend 
 why everything is ordered thus and not otherwise : and God 
 is not bound to render to me an explanation of his views and 
 his operations. As a benignant Father, who daily over- 
 whelms me with abundant and new blessings, he claims ray 
 gratitude ; as the Governor of the world, he demands my 
 submission : and wilt not thou, my soul, submit thyself to so 
 gracious a Father to so powerful a Sovereign, who every 
 minute convinces thee, that he loves thee and provides for 
 thy welfare ? Wilt thou not confide in the God who dis- 
 plays his omnipotence, his wisdom, and his affection towards 
 thee so manifestly ? If here thy condition is not perfect, but 
 subject to many vicissitudes, expect from his love a more 
 perfect state in futurity. Every grief that presses upon thee 
 is an incitement to this hope. All nature, all the attributes 
 of God and, yet more than all, the love of Jesus, assure 
 thee of this. He who brings the grain of seed-corn to ma- 
 turity, who provides for the insect in all its different changes, 
 and gives wings to the worm, shall he not allow man to 
 arrive at perfection, and will he not place him in a state supe- 
 rior to the present world ? When hereafter the course of 
 
WITH GOD. 421 
 
 nature and of the world shows the obscurities which thy in- 
 tellect cannot develope, beware of indulging a doubt as to 
 God's wisdom and goodness, or of confiding too much in 
 thy own intellect. Rely on the hand which directs the march 
 of the stars, which determines the circuit of the sun, and 
 knits together the myriad-linked chain of created things. He 
 will by his unbounded power, maintain all his works till the 
 solar flame is quenched for ever, and nature has attained her 
 latest aim. Resign thyself to the will of that Being whose 
 decrees remain always good, however incomprehensible they 
 may appear to our finite intelligence. 
 
 If, O my soul, thou followest these precepts, every portion 
 of thy life, every day, every hour in thy pilgrimage, will 
 afford thee ample occasion to praise the wise and gracious 
 governance of thy God. And to this occupation let then the 
 passing day also instigate thee. Be attentive to the whole 
 tenor of God's guidance in every instance, and form no 
 judgment till the Divinity has accomplished his counsel in 
 thee. Thou knowest not beforehand what views he has for 
 thee, but thou wilt hereafter learn them. Only be thou pa- 
 tient, and never let thy hope fail. The termination of all the 
 Divine dispensations, and, above all, Eternity, will fully dis- 
 close to thee, how faithfully, how affectionately, how like a 
 "Father, the Lord leads his own people. 
 
 OCTOBER 12. 
 
 Time to be employed in Preparation for Eternity. 
 
 EACH day that I live exhibits tome the picture of my \vhole 
 existence. Its ruddy dawn represents the morning of my 
 years; its twilight glimmer is like to the decay of my vital 
 strength ; and how soon, perhaps, may I sink into the even- 
 ing of my life ! But thy view herein, my Creator, is daily to 
 remind me of my earthly lot. Every climate has its own pe- 
 culiar day, that each individual may learn the progress and 
 the employment of life. Even that distant inhabitant of our 
 globe, who enjoys the sun for entire months, has yet to fear, 
 in return, the proportionably long night, and to redouble his 
 industry that it may not surprise him unprovided. Ought 
 
422 MORNING COMMUNINGS 
 
 not I, likewise, daily to redouble my assiduity to prepare my- 
 self not only for the night of death, but also for the morning 
 of the resurrection ? The day glides rapidly away : do 
 I require any other warning to remind me of the end of 
 my appointed period on earth ? Why then do I reckon upon 
 years, as if years were my fixed property ? He is already 
 beyond calculation rich in time, who can say to himself: 
 " I have gained this day, this hour ! " 
 
 How precious must every day be to me ! Each ought to 
 be devoted either to the planning or the execution of a good 
 action. Is it void of laudable deeds or pious purposes ? then 
 it belongs not really to my life. Those hours only have I lived, 
 at which I shall rejoice at the end of my life, and which I 
 shall then bless. According to these considerations it would 
 be impossible that I should merely consecrate a few fleeting 
 moments to communion with God, or keep him before my 
 eyes only in solitude. Every undertaking, which harmonizes 
 not with my everlasting destination, must appear to me indif- 
 ferent and futile. On this account also the Lord has so 
 closely connected the duties of our worldly profession with 
 our future fate. Must I deem every day a respite of prepar- 
 ation for eternity ? how careful ought I then to be in the ob- 
 servance of my calling, and in the execution of my righteous 
 resolutions, to distinguish every step of my pilgrimage by 
 some good effort. Who would not wish to possess at the close 
 of his days, the recollection of many pious deeds, and to be- 
 queath to his posterity this recollection, and the hope in a just 
 Retributor, as the fairest of all inheritances? 
 
 Never, therefore, will I reckon on the morrow, but perform 
 instantly that which it behoves me to do, as if I were certain 
 that I had only the present day to live. Whom do more 
 vexations harass than him who is ever occupied with the ex- 
 pectation of future years ? I must so live every day as if the 
 brief spectacle of this world's pageantry were, for me, ulti- 
 mately closed. I will not covet numerous years ; this only 
 shall be my desire, that I may usefully employ the time al- 
 lotted to me, and store for myself a treasury in heaven. Lord 
 of my days, render me thus wise and happy, that through 
 the constant meditation of my destiny I may neither in the 
 evening of this day nor at the completion of my life have 
 cause to regret that I have lived. 
 
WITH GOD. 423 
 
 OCTOBER 13. 
 
 Admiration of the Works of the Creator. 
 
 REPRESS not, O my soul, that innate desire with which the 
 Lord has endowed thee to admire the wonders of his works, 
 and to praise his wisdom. Through this feeling, with which 
 he has inspired my heart, would he excite thee to know and 
 venerate his greatness, and to rejoice in his love. O ! then 
 employ the emotions thus implanted within thee to the honour 
 of thy Creator. Taste and feel how friendly the Lord is. 
 Everywhere mayst thou indulge this noble instinct. Thou 
 hast no need to dig through rocks, or to make dangerous ex- 
 cursions to foreign lands, to discover the marvels of the wis- 
 dom of God. Each single moment, each spot of earth, every 
 season of the year, render them visible, and invite thee to 
 rapture and amazement, and to the adoration of thy supreme 
 Maker. 
 
 A few weeks ago, I marked with silent pleasure, the young 
 swarm of bees collecting, at the first break of dawn, their 
 honey on the meadows. With equal industry did the ant 
 climb up the stalk of corn, and travel back with the ripe par- 
 ticle of grain to her subterraneous dwelling. Who instructed 
 them to be thus considerate for the future ? Who now takes 
 care for them so that they may be able to brave the rigorous 
 tempests, and may, till the succeeding harvest arrive, tran- 
 quilly consume their stores ? O thou wondrous Preserver of 
 thy creatures, here stands my comprehension at a pause, when 
 I observe the skilful solicitude with which thou sustamest and 
 nourishest all animal existence, from the fly to the behemoth. 
 Who wafts the swallow over land and sea to warmer regions? 
 who fixes for her the day of her departure ? who is the direc- 
 tor of her flight ? who shows her where to rest her foot ? who 
 guides her back to us again ? 
 
 My understanding, O ! thou omniscient Being, is far too 
 bounded to embrace the entire field in which thy almighty 
 power displays and magnifies itself. Yet that part of it which 
 thou unfoldest to me shall suffice to make me thankfully 
 acknowledge the pre-eminence over the brute creation with 
 which thou hast invested me : through thee they live with- 
 
424 MORNING COMMUNINGS 
 
 out knowing the hand that feeds them ; but I feel, I know, 
 that it is thou whose goodness provides for me every day, and 
 in every season supports and governs me, defends and pre- 
 serves me. Yet, since I know this, ought I not to live tran- 
 quilly and abandon my cares to thee? Teach me too the 
 wisdom to think justly of the future. Thou didst not create 
 me that I might pile together hoards of wealth for this short 
 life : but I ani rather destined to secure riches for eternity. Let 
 me, like the bee, in the season of my spring-time, be thought- 
 ful of my wintry days, of which I shall say : " They please 
 me not/' 
 
 If it be my object to collect for myself treasures and con- 
 solation against the period of necessity or sadness, I shall 
 everywhere find a supply for my soul. All nature, God, 
 the world, heaven and earth, reason and revelation, beast arid 
 man, will teach me what I ought to do to become well-pleas- 
 ing to the Lord of the universe. A school will everywhere 
 be opened to me for the study of wisdom, if I have but a 
 pious, docile heart. 
 
 OCTOBER 14. 
 
 The Lot appointed for every one, the best for him. 
 
 HOWEVER small may be the external fortune which, through 
 God's ordinance, has fallen to my share, it is sufficient for 
 my desires ; and the situation in which I am placed is, in a 
 word, beyond question, the best and the most beneficial for 
 me. When I afflict myself so much about the partial dis- 
 tribution of earthly possessions, I forget that it is the work 
 of the All-wise, who can neither err nor be unjust. To be 
 convinced of this brings with it tranquillity, secures me from 
 envy, and moderates my extravagant complaints. With what 
 contentment can I this day return back to the worM, if I 
 believe, with full certainty, that the degree of prosperity 
 which God has assigned to me, the rank in which he has 
 placed me, and the privileges which are dispensed to me, 
 constitute the best lot that could have been determined for 
 my portion ! 
 
 But though I know this truth, yet often do such wishes 
 
WITH GOD. 425 
 
 as these intrude themselves into my heart when I see others 
 fortunate: Ah! that my fate had been of this description, 
 that similar felicity had been mine ! Ah ! that I were only 
 so respected, so rich, so prosperous, so free from anxiety, as 
 thousands among my brethren are ! And the feeling grows 
 still stronger, when I join in the crowd of society, and be- 
 come a spectator of the unequal partition of the gifts of for- 
 tune. Yet do I understand what I desire? Probably I 
 should change my thoughts, if I compared that which I 
 possess with that which is wanting to me. Is my condition 
 on one side unfavourable ; it is on the other so much the 
 more worthy of thanks. It is true, I have not the power of 
 enjoying the world and its amusements with unrestrained 
 licence. But even this circumstance excludes a great variety 
 of disquieting feelings. It is even for this very reason, 
 namely, because I do not live in superfluity, that I am freed 
 from great temptations, and have not so many opportunities 
 of offending God, of wounding my conscience, and of de- 
 nying the faith. Neither have I to contend with so many 
 enemies who envy my prosperity. Many of my fellow-mor- 
 tals indeed can, in various ways, gratify their senses, and 
 their fancy ; but I am not, on this account, more unhappy 
 than they, since I feel a proportionably increased longing 
 after the joys of heaven, and sweeter peace in my soul. It 
 is true, that the outward fortune which I covet in those 
 whom I term lucky, renders this life delightful and agree- 
 able. But if I cannot live so gaily, I can die so much the 
 more cheerfully, and without distressing myself, like the 
 favoured of Mammon, who experience so much anguish 
 when they have to leave their possessions behind them. The 
 station at which I aspire is, according to my own opinion 
 and that of the world, more advantageous and pleasant than 
 my present one. But the station in which I find myself 
 according to the destiny of God, is in God's judgment equal 
 or superior to the other, which I prefer. 
 
 O ! would that these considerations might make the 
 strongest impression on my heart, and that, by satisfaction 
 and contentment, my quiet might be promoted. Let me, O 
 God, in that state to which thou hast called me through thy 
 benevolent providence, labour to secure my salvation without 
 negligence, without sloth and impatience. Grant that the 
 
426 MORNING COMMUNINGS 
 
 prosperity of this world may not render me proud, nor its 
 adversity dispirited. Let me ever look, with enlightened 
 eyes, towards the other world, and, through the contempla- 
 tion of it, be excited to renounce this sublunary kingdom, 
 and to live temperately, righteously, and devoutly, so long 
 as I shall yet be an inhabitant of the earth. 
 
 OCTOBER 15. 
 
 Godliness and Worldliness at Variance with each other. 
 
 WOULD I advance nearer to the goal which my faith sets 
 before me, would I finally arrive at it, I must then no longer 
 conform myself to the world. But what will the world say 
 of me if I reject its judgment, set at nought its lusts, re- 
 nounce its applause, and withdraw from its distractions ? 
 Shall I not be regarded as a hypocrite, and a false devotee ? 
 I would willingly bridle my sensuality, and contemn earthly 
 gratifications : but yet how sweet is it to obey our inclina- 
 tions, and how bitter to do violence to nature ! I will flee 
 from the company in which I have hitherto met with so 
 many enticements to sin : but how insufferable will my soli- 
 citude be to me ; how much will it cost me to tear myself 
 out of the arms of my choicest friends ! I will leave the 
 old way : but yet wherefore should I become singular ? My 
 predecessors walked in the same paths, arid many thousands 
 still pursue them, who assure me that happiness and ease 
 are to be found in them. 
 
 These are the conflicting thoughts which arise in my soul 
 on the forming of each good resolution. This is the contest 
 which takes place within me whenever I purpose to amend 
 my life. And what is then my fate ? I am vanquished by 
 these slight assailants ; with the best intentions, I continue 
 undetermined; with the wish to be virtuous, I indulge an 
 antipathy against virtue. This is the short and sad history 
 of the greater part of my resolutions. And even this day, 
 likewise, will in me confirm the saying of Jesus : " The spirit 
 is willing, but the flesh is weak." But I will no longer re- 
 main in this melancholy and wretched situation, in which I 
 
WITH GOD. 427 
 
 can procure no rest for my soul. Through thy aid, O God, 
 I will be more undaunted in the accomplishment of my praise- 
 worthy design. To the charms of the flesh I will oppose 
 the allurements of the spirit ; to the voice of nature the voice 
 of grace ; and to the weakness of my own powers the strength 
 of the Divine grace. 
 
 It is my earnest intention from the present day to abandon 
 my instability. The world may judge of me as it will ; it 
 may load me at its pleasure with the most opprobrious epi- 
 thets. Its sentence can decide nothing; its hatred can injure 
 me as little as its love can be useful to me. I will crucify 
 the flesh. Nature may rise up in rebellion against me ; it 
 may seem hard to my feeble heart ; I will riot be moved ; 
 yet the first victory will efface all the bitterness of the con- 
 flict, and represent to me the satisfying our carnal lusts as 
 the most galling slavery. I will shun the intercourse of 
 those with whom I have been hitherto entangled to the pre- 
 judice of my soul. Irksome as retirement may at first ap- 
 pear to me, it will become pleasant to me, when I have tasted 
 the delight of entering into an union with God. I will for- 
 sake the path of sin. However great may be the number of 
 those who may tread in it, I will not become wretched in 
 their fellowship. Let the way of virtue seem ever so rough, 
 the further I proceed the more pleasant it will be to me. I 
 may not, perhaps, have in it a single companion : yet if God 
 is with me, if Jesus is my guide, if the angels arc my spec- 
 tators, I can easily forget the desertion of man. I will de- 
 vote my heart to godliness : and should there in so doing be 
 much to deny and to suffer, eternity will refund all my 
 losses, and remunerate all my toils. 
 
 OCTOBER 16. 
 
 Offerings of Thanksgiving to God. 
 
 LET everything that hath breath praise the Lord, and boast 
 of his holy name ! Speak to God arid say : How wonderful 
 are thy works ! Thy enemies will fail before thy great 
 might. Let every land worship thee, and celebrate thy fame. 
 
MORNENG COMMUNINGS 
 
 Come here, and look at the doings of God, who is so illus- 
 trious in his deeds among the children of men ! He rules 
 eternally by his power ; his eyes behold all people. Praise 
 our Lord, ye nations, and let his glory be widely resounded. 
 He it is who preserves our souls in life, and allows not our 
 feet to slip. Lord, thou art my God, I praise thee, arid exalt 
 thy renown, for thou perform est marvels. Thy conduct to- 
 wards man, even from the times of old, has been faithful 
 and true ; for thou art the strength of the feeble, a protec- 
 tion in trouble to the poor, a refuge from the blast, and a 
 shade in the heat. Thy truth encompasses thee around : 
 heaven and earth are thine: thou hast founded the solid 
 globe and all that is on it. Lord of Sabaoth, who is like to 
 thee, a mighty God ? Midnight and midday, evening and 
 morning hast thou made. I return thanks to thee, Lord, my 
 God, with my whole heart, and honour thy name for ever; 
 for thy goodness is exceedingly great over me, and thou hast 
 delivered my soul. 
 
 Thou, Lord, art my confidence and my hope from my 
 youth upwards. On thee have T relied from my mother's 
 womb. Thou also hast protected me in the past night from 
 all perils. Eternal God, I resign myself to thee anew. Be 
 my soul, my body, my thoughts, my inclinations, and my 
 passions consecrated to thee, O Creator. Bless me through 
 thy providence, lead me according to thy counsel, and sanc- 
 tify me through thy Spirit. Be my guide in all my ways, 
 my protector in all perils, and do thou spare me in my sins. 
 Give me neither poverty nor wealth, that in my need I may 
 not forget thee, nor amid superfluity forget myself. Vouch- 
 safe to me a good conscience, and let me guard it as my dear- 
 est treasure. Render me adapted to my calling, and make 
 me rational in all my actions, contented with my situation, 
 and composed amid the sufferings of life. Preserve me from 
 idleness, and from all opportunities to sin, and render me 
 ever more firm and steadfast in godliness. Let me as far as 
 possible keep peace with all my brethren, and contribute my 
 utmost that they may live tranquilly and happily. Shield 
 thy church and thy worshippers from all assaults of wicked- 
 ness. Sustain the authorities whom thou hast placed over us. 
 Give wisdom to fathers, that they may bring up their children 
 to thy honour ; and willingness to the children, that they may 
 
WITH GOD. 
 
 be obedient to their parents. Let all useful trades and handi- 
 crafts thrive, and be mindful of each of my fellow-men accord- 
 ing to his necessities. 
 
 What hymns of thanksgiving and praise will then be of- 
 fered up to thee at the close of this day from the favoured 
 world ! And though all the multitude of the living sho,ld 
 keep silence, I will come forward as a witness of thy om- 
 nipotence and goodness, and praise thy lofty name, which 
 is the hope of all people, and the safest bulwark ot au 
 nations. 
 
 OCTOBER 17. 
 
 The Approach of Winter. 
 
 THE unpleasantness of approaching winter is now experienced 
 but too sensibly. My joy fulness subsides ; my soul seems 
 to me to mourn with nature ; my feelings are no more so 
 lively, and my spirit is no more so serene, as when the vernal 
 sun recalled the dead vegetation to a new existence. Yet 
 arnid these melancholy sensations which the spectacle of the 
 desolating season occasions to me, one consolation still cheers 
 me. When I behold the whole landscape withered, the 
 woods leafless, the hills stripped of their beauty, and all the 
 gardens deflowered, the future loveliness of nature exhibits 
 itself to my mind, and again diffuses a calm through my 
 heart. In imagination I see the tender grass sprouting once 
 more under the snow, the naked trees again covered with 
 foliage and blossom, and the plains decked out with blessings. 
 O my soul ! be herein instructed in the value of thy preroga- 
 tive. From the irrational creatures all this is concealed, and 
 they scarcely know how to enjoy even the present. How 
 much has thy God bestowed upon thec in this gifted supe- 
 riority ! Without this faculty the contemplation of the past 
 as well as of the present, would be tormenting to thee. O ! 
 then use this propensity to dwell upon the future, not to thy 
 pain, but to thy well-being : for to this end has God implanted 
 it in thee. 
 
 1 can look back into the past, and all is love and goodness 
 
430 MORNING COMMUNINGS 
 
 that I have received from my first infancy till the present 
 day, from the fatherly hand of my God. But how much is 
 my triumph in these divine blessings diminished, when I 
 carefully reflect on the course of my own life ! Hours, days, 
 and years, which I permitted to pass profitless away, profit- 
 less for the salvation of my immortal soul, I now wish to re- 
 cover back in vain. 
 
 And how few are the hours which I can remember with un- 
 alloyed satisfaction. The first man alone, so long as he con- 
 tinued guiltless, enjoyed pure pleasure from the recollection 
 of former times, when he could revert in idea to every moment 
 which he had spent in innocence. What transport dost thou 
 conceive, my soul, in such a life, which flows as placidly 
 and smoothly along as a purling brook through the meads of 
 spring ? 
 
 Yet, what a soothing, heart-elevating thought ! I shall not 
 perpetually lament the loss of this pure innocence. The pros- 
 pect into futurity, whether near or distant, and this longing 
 after higher felicity, were not bestowed upon me by my Maker 
 for my torture. The future on yon side of the grave discovers 
 to me a purer and more perfect life than I can here obtain. O, 
 my Creator, how shall I thank thee that thou hast not entirely 
 hidden from me the happiness of futurity ! What would my 
 life be, since so many of my past days disquiet me, and since 
 the present contains so little agreeableness for me, if the future 
 did not promise to me more ease and pleasantness ? Jesus, 
 thee have I to thank, that I am not compelled to tremble at 
 the thought of my second life. Let then, through thy Spirit, 
 this hope become always more lively in my soul, and sweeten 
 for me the present imperfect and toilsome existence. Let 
 me not direct my regards with sickening anxiety to the tem- 
 poral future, but rather cherish in my heart the persuasion, 
 that a God who on my account has laid up so much blessed- 
 ness for the eternal future, in heaven, will also grant to 
 me, for the earthly future, as much as is needful for my real 
 good. 
 
WITH GOD. 431 
 
 OCTOBER 18. 
 
 The Present and the future State. 
 
 THERE is an infinitely greater difference between my future 
 and my present state, than between the smallest ray of the 
 morning light, when it first breaks, and the immense body of 
 the sun itself, which imparts illumination and warmth to the 
 whole world. Of this truth I am indeed firmly convinced ; 
 but yet I am much more occupied with the care of my 
 earthly prosperity than with the far more serious concern of 
 my eternal salvation, and feel more grief when I lose a 
 worldly advantage, than when I am in danger of throwing 
 away celestial possessions. I know that this life will soon ar- 
 rive at its end, and yet with indefatigable solicitude do I form 
 arrangements as if it were to endure for ever. I know that 
 the future life will never finish, and yet I make little or no 
 preparation for it ; and that which renders me so secure in 
 this momentous affair, is the mad supposition that the life 
 to come is yet far distant. But is it then actually so far 
 from me that I should dare to be careless and secure ? Do 
 I know the boundary which God has appointed to me on 
 this earth ? and though I did know it, may I venture to treat 
 the most important of all circumstances in so light and incon- 
 sistent a manner as to postpone it to everything terrestrial ? 
 Is my everlasting welfare not worthy of the endeavours of all 
 the days of my existence ? 
 
 O ! blinded man that I arn, what have I done in employ- 
 ing solely for the acquirement of vain earthly prosperity the 
 precious time in which I ought to have worked out my salva- 
 tion ! Can I recall what I have neglected ? make substitution 
 for what I have lost? Andtnough I should reach the high- 
 est summit of age allotted to man, would it be in my power to 
 retrieve my carelessness, or to expiate my contemned duties ? 
 No ; in vain do I attempt to excuse my past indolence and 
 heedlessness ! they are, and they must continue, culpable ; 
 and I can only reflect with bitter remorse on the days which 
 I have foolishly squandered: I have no hope, save that 
 which the mercy of God affords to me. These are the re- 
 flections which I am anxious should accompany me in the 
 
432 MORNING COMMUXINQS 
 
 world. O ! that both time and eternity could make so deep 
 an impression on my heart, that during the whole day, I 
 might think of nothing so earnestly as the shortness of my 
 mortal period, and the retributions which await me in eter- 
 nity ! O Lord, do thou, however, confirm my heart, through 
 thy grace, in this holy consideration. Let not the strongest 
 allurements of this life divert me from striving, with all my 
 powers, after the attainment of the life immortal and eternal. 
 Let me, moreover, enjoy a faint prospect at least of the glory 
 that will be hereafter, that I may so much the more zealously 
 endeavour to walk in the way of virtue, and to vanquish all 
 the difficulties that may occur in my path. 
 
 OCTOBER 19. 
 
 The Wonders of the human Frame. 
 
 THE extraordinary structure of my body is of itself sufficient 
 to convince me of the existence of an infinitely wise and all- 
 benignant Being : and though there were nothing else in the 
 world that would make manifest God's greatness, my corpo- 
 real frame alone would amply do so. How many wonders 
 do I behold, for the research of which even the most pro- 
 tracted life is too curtailed ! What depth of wisdom do I 
 discover in the arrangement and junction of so many different 
 members ! What fitness in the relation of all the parts to 
 each other, and what beauty arising from the varied harmony 
 of the whole complicated machinery, are perceptible to ob- 
 servation ! I need only confine myself to the external form 
 of my body : all the organs of the senses are so admirably 
 ordered and adapted, that I cannot contemplate them with- 
 out adoring the Lord, and praising his knowledge and skill. 
 Who instructs the eye how to cover itself? Who prepares 
 the ear and gives it the power to catch the gentlest sound ? 
 Who regulates the measured motion of my heart? And who 
 made this exquisitely devised body to be the veil and dwell- 
 ing of an immortal spirit? Who produced this spirit, 
 which I only know from its operation and effects, and by 
 which I exalt myself to the meditation and conception of ray 
 
WITH GOD. 433 
 
 Creator ? O ! Jehovah, how great are thy works ! how 
 fathomless are thy thoughts ! I will extol thee, my God, 
 because I am made in so marvellous a fashion. Wondrous 
 are thy deeds, and that my soul well knoweth ! 
 
 How were it possible, with such evident monuments of the 
 eternal beneficence, to remain unaffected and insensible ! 
 But, alas ! my life demonstrates to me how easy it is that 
 God may be forgotten, even in the midst of his miracles ; 
 so often have I regarded my body, and used my limbs, with- 
 out thinking of their supreme Author. I will, however, 
 this morning look into myself, as if it happened for the first 
 time, and carefully explore whatever may excite me to the 
 glorification of my God. As often as I exercise the sense 
 of seeing, of hearing, or of feeling, I will recollect the Lord, 
 from whom I have received these organs and faculties of 
 perception. He has given me eyes to gaze upon the loveli- 
 ness of his creation ; and hearing, smell, and touch, that his 
 greatness and his goodness may flow upon me through every 
 medium. May then my entire life magnify his goodness; 
 may no day pass by in which I do not thankfully acknow- 
 ledge and joyfully celebrate his loving kindness ! Yea, 
 render glory, 6 my soul, to the Lord, and let not the memory 
 of his mercies depart from thy thoughts. 
 
 OCTOBER 20. 
 
 God's universal Providence. 
 
 EVENTS daily occur in the world that render it undeniably 
 certain, that a wise and benign Providence watches over the 
 whole earth, and especially over mankind. I must obdurately 
 close my eyes, and malevolently suppress every feeling, if I 
 would not observe these evidences of God's gracious govern- 
 ance, or would remain insensible to them. How important, 
 and how worthy of gratitude, is the preference which God 
 has displayed towards man. I can, under all circumstances, 
 assure myself in the most certain manner, that my life is 
 valuable in the sight of God. With what care does he 
 guard me; with what fidelity does he avert dangers from my 
 
434 MORNING COMMUNINGS 
 
 existence ; with what kindness does he provide for my re- 
 creation and refreshment ; with what bounty does he sustain 
 my perishable body ! Had it not been his hand that sup. 
 ported me, I should long since have admired the morning 
 sun for the last time, or beheld each repeated revolution of it 
 in misery and sorrow. I must have deemed every addi- 
 tion to my days as a punishment, if God, while he con- 
 tinued my life, had not also increased his grace towards me. 
 And what a consolatory idea is it, when I reflect that this 
 grace is spread everywhere over the earth, and that no spot 
 is to be found which does not contain the visible marks of 
 the Divine bounty ! Wherever I go, the goodness of God 
 incessantly accompanies me ; it watches by me during sleep, 
 and it is close to me even in solitude. Ail nature instructs 
 me as to the solicitous superintendence of the Deity, and 
 strengthens me in the trust which I place in his almighty 
 beneficence. Each bird that hovers around for food reminds 
 me of the providence of the omnipotent Maker of heaven 
 and earth, and reproaches me by its freedom from all care. 
 
 O ! then will I become more attentive to his wonderful 
 providence, and rejoice in the high felicity of being subject 
 to a God who is so plenteous in goodness and wisdom. How 
 invaluable ought I to esteem the privilege of daring to con- 
 fide in him, and to expect from him everything beneficial ! 
 How important ought I to account it, that through Jesus 
 Christ I can regard him as my reconciled Father, and full of 
 comfort and reliance commend to him all my interests ! And 
 how much consolation may I derive from the consideration 
 of his attributes ! God is omnipotent ; therefore he can 
 never be deficient in power to assist me, and to deliver me 
 out of dangers. God is omniscient ; therefore he must 
 know the best means of promoting my happiness. He is 
 omnipresent; therefore in all places, and on all occasions, I 
 shall find in him a mighty helper and hearer of my prayer : 
 neither will he let me go unrewarded when I sincerely per- 
 form his law. He is eternal ; therefore I possess in him a 
 friend who can never be torn from me, who can never be un- 
 true, and whose love and constancy can never falter. 
 
 Be praised, O God, for these consolations ! Bring me, I 
 beseech thee, by thy grace, into such a state, that I may be 
 also able to rejoice in these thy divine qualities. Let me 
 
WITH GOD. 435 
 
 place my delight in meditating upon them and admiring 
 them, and let me thereby be excited to the exercise of virtue. 
 Grant that I may constantly live mindful of thee, and through 
 the daily proofs of thy holy providence receive an irresistible 
 inspiration to devote myself to thy service, and remain in 
 eternity peculiarly thy own. 
 
 OCTOBER 21. 
 
 The unfeeling Sinner. 
 
 THERE is hardly any temper so unfeeling and inflexible that 
 it cannot be moved and softened by benefits. Even the 
 irrational brutes allow themselves to be won through kind- 
 ness. The stiff-necked sinner alone it is, who can be affected 
 by no goodness, softened by no friendliness, enticed by no 
 promises, gained by no gifts, and brought by no motives to 
 the love of God. Man acts more unjustifiably towards his 
 heavenly Benefactor, than towards his earthly patrons. He 
 receives from his Creator the bread that nourishes him, the 
 earth which bears and feeds him, the light that illuminates, 
 the sun that warms him, and all the benevolent gifts that 
 are to be found either within or without himself ; and yet he 
 turns aside from the All-benignant, whose bounty streams 
 afresh every morning, 
 
 Dost thou not, O my soul, recognise thyself in this por- 
 trait? Or art thou more sensible to the benefactions of thy 
 God, more attentive to his voice, and more thankful for his 
 mercy? Have the donations of the Lord each day's and 
 each new morning's tokens of grace, obtained so much domi- 
 nion over thee, that thou hast been thereby moved to obe- 
 dience, and to love and adoration towards God ? Ah ! how 
 many past days testify against thee ! How many blessings 
 must, on account of thy ingratitude, shame thee and disquiet 
 thee by the recollection of them ! O ! cease to act in a 
 manner so unworthy of humanity ! Cease to wrong him 
 who has anticipated thy very wishes with so much kindness, 
 and who had shown such vast goodness to thee, ere thou 
 thyself could perform anything good. Cease to repay bene- 
 volence with evil, love with hatred, and indulgence with 
 
436 MORNING COMMUNINGS 
 
 obstinacy. God has effected for thee all that was needful 
 for thy welfare. He has bestowed upon thee everything for 
 thy happiness ; nay, he has even destined thee to yet greater 
 felicity, and he requires from thee nothing but acknowledg- 
 ment and love. Canst thou deny him this without loading 
 thyself with heavy and unpardonable guilt ? Wherefore wilt 
 thou not evince to him as much thankfulness as thou de- 
 mandest from others for thy own slight services? Wherefore 
 wilt thou not love him, when in him is united all that can be 
 deserving of love? Behold, this morning invites thee anew to 
 gratitude and affection. Let not this invitation be made to 
 thee in vain, but awaken thy whole heart to love this ador- 
 able Being, and render thanks to thy everlasting Benefactor. 
 Lord and Father I forgive me, that I have hitherto so 
 little observed the duties which I owe to thee. I have sur- 
 passed many in the want of love and in unthankfulness ; but 
 now it is my earnest purpose to excel my pious brethren in 
 ardour and gratitude. I will be more heedful of thy bless- 
 ings : I will be devoted to thee in reverence and esteem. 
 Let not thyself be impelled by my former indifference to 
 withdraw from me the further enjoyment of thy bounty, but 
 vouchsafe thy gracious regard to the resolutions under which 
 I now bind myself for my future life. It shall be my most 
 inviolable duty to praise thee, and enjoy thy blessings with a 
 contented heart. 
 
 OCTOBER 22. 
 
 The Day of Judgment. 
 
 THE hour approaches, when all who are in their graves shall 
 hear the voice of God and come forth ; those who have done 
 good, to the resurrection of life, and those who have done 
 evil, to the resurrection of judgment. What frightful inti- 
 mation is this for the sinner whose conscience accuses him ! 
 Should thy great day, O God, find me in the midst of my 
 accustomed sins while they are unrepented and unatoned, 
 ah ! whither could I llee where take refuge, when the tem- 
 pestuous elements glow with fervent heat, and both earth and 
 heaven tremble ? 
 
WITH GOD. 437 
 
 Wretch that I am ! Alas ! whither, whither should I be- 
 take myself, if the day of retribution were to overtake me 
 ere I had yet corrected my heart? With whom should I find 
 help, when all things cried out vengeance against me ? What 
 could cheer me, when terror and agony were diffused every- 
 where around me ? Above me I should behold the angry 
 Judge : beneath me hell would open its jaws, and gape to 
 swallow me up. On the right my sins would condemn me, 
 and on the lei't the spectacle of the rejected would affright 
 me. Within my remorse, and without the groans and the 
 lamentations of the damned, would conspire together to my 
 torture. But above all would the thought of an eternity fill 
 me with horror and dismay. What then would remain for 
 my consolation or my deliverance ? How should I be able 
 to endure this anguish ? What way could I select to escape 
 from it? To go back would be impossible, to go forward 
 would be too terrible. What should I do under such awful 
 circumstances? If I sought death, it would recoil from me; 
 if I desired the rolling mountains to crush me under their 
 shaken foundations, they will deny me this direful resource. 
 Despairing, wretched, and lost, should I stand and await the 
 irrevocable sentence : DEPART FROM ME, YE ACCURSED, 
 
 INTO THE EVERLASTING FIRE. 
 
 To be tranquil and unconcerned under such dreadful con- 
 siderations would evince the most unpardonable folly ! But 
 have I indeed often felt in my soul a salutary shuddering on 
 the contemplation of this final judgment? Careless and 
 secure I have hitherto wandered on, and destruction would 
 assuredly have overwhelmed me, had the last day surprised 
 me in my negligence. Times beyond number have I lulled 
 my heart asleep with the idea that a long career of life still 
 lay before me. But who then has given me the assurance 
 of this ? Might not this day become the extremity of my 
 earthly course, this very hour prove my last ? Ah ! Lord, 
 appear not yet in thy dread majesty. Erase me not yet from 
 the world, nor yet extirpate me. Grant me yet time for 
 repentance, a reprieve for my amendment. But arouse me 
 that I may be ready, when thy Son comes, to receive him 
 with joy. And do thou thyself teach me how to conduct 
 myself according to thy pleasure. 
 
438 MORNING COMMUNINGS 
 
 OCTOBER 23. 
 
 Reflections on an added Day of Life. 
 
 FOR what purpose has God again gifted me with new life ? 
 This is a question which I ought every morning to put to 
 my soul, and to which I ought to reply with sincerity. And 
 this would be the surest means to render me watchful, care- 
 ful, and faithful in the employment of my life, and to damp 
 the opposite inclinations, which so often spring up in my 
 mind. I will now, therefore, make this inquiry candidly ; 
 my own conscience, and divine revelation, will furnish the 
 best-founded answer: Wherefore has God granted to thee, 
 my soul, a new day of life ? Has the morning sun arisen 
 upon thee, that, under the favour of its light, thou mayst 
 perform the deeds of darkness ? Are thy eyes again opened 
 to thee, that thou mayst fix them on objects of sensuality, 
 on the carnal treasures of the earth, and the lusts of the 
 world ? Does thy heart yet beat, that thou mayst ruin its 
 peace and happiness in sinful endeavours ? Or is there a 
 more exalted view, for the sake of which God has reanimated 
 thee ? O ! how couldst thou for a moment doubt that thou 
 hast not here thy permanent state ? 
 
 Now, then, reflect maturely on thy destination and the 
 purpose of thy life. The sole scope of thy being is the glo- 
 rification of God, and the working out of thy salvation. To 
 this centre ail thy wishes, efforts, and actions must directly 
 tend. All that thou undertakes!, though thou couldst even 
 acquire empires by the enterprise, is mere folly and useless 
 labour, if it stand in contradiction to this aim. But all that 
 harmonizes with thy true appointment, whether it be fortune 
 or mischance, wealth or poverty, loss or gain, will be salu- 
 tary for thee. Hence determine instantly on the present day 
 to prosecute, without procrastination, the grand business, on 
 account of which thou art actually in the world ; for this 
 alone is important and great : the rest is trifling and vanity. 
 
 I confess to thee, O Lord, that in relation to the main in- 
 tention of my earthly existence, I have been hitherto most in- 
 cautious and careless. I have sacrificed my essential, eternal 
 happiness to the deceptious glitter of the world, and my 
 
WITH GOD, 430 
 
 calling, which belongs to heaven, I have sought on the earth. 
 I perceive my error ; and I thank thee that thou hast dis- 
 covered it to me. I have still, through thy grace, time to 
 amend myself: I will not, therefore, sport with the day of 
 safety, but remain unalterably faithful to the good resolution 
 which I have this morning formed. Yet what can I effect 
 if thou be not mighty in me, a weakling ? Therefore do I 
 entreat thee, perfect in me the work commenced till the day 
 when Christ shall appear. That epoch will bring my destiny 
 fully into light, and exalt me to the undisturbed possession of 
 those advantages to which I was created and redeemed, and 
 for which I was stationed in this world. Then shall I com- 
 pletely learn how worthy these treasures are of my love, my 
 hope, and my desire. 
 
 OCTOBER 24. 
 
 Of past Follies. 
 
 THIS morning brings to my recollection, while the cares and 
 troubles of life rush anew into my heart, all my former follies 
 and frailties However far I carry back the review and ex- 
 amination of my life, I find everywhere proofs of the per- 
 versity and the weakness of my heart. In what a sad state of 
 mental blindness have I hitherto lived, submitting myself to 
 the tyranny of my sensual instincts, and taking upon me the 
 burdensome yoke of sin, under which I was so often com- 
 pelled to groan on account of its oppression ! Yet no, how 
 happy should I have been if my situation had extorted from 
 me any sighs ! But, alas ! I tripped along, amid heedless, 
 frantic pleasures, and felt not the load that weighed upon me, 
 nor the misery which it contained, and saw not the destruc- 
 tion into which I was hastening. Little as I found my hap- 
 piness in the gratification of my unrestrained sensuality, yet 
 I constantly continued to seek in the same course the feli- 
 city that has constantly fled from my grasp. 
 
 O ! that this morning may prove the morning of gladness, 
 on which I shall begin to abandon the path where I have so 
 long pursued happiness and quiet to no purpose ! Would 
 that I might perceive that if I desire to live happily on earth 
 
440 'MORNING COMMUNINGS 
 
 1 must love and observe the holy law, my God ! Might I be 
 convinced through thy Spirit, that the more I struggle in sin 
 after felicity, the more my disquiet must be augmented ! And 
 what pleasure can a spirit possibly experience to which is 
 wanting internal peace, the fruit of innocence alone ? 
 
 Then labour, with redoubled ardour, my soul, to acquire 
 the persuasion, that only in the ways of virtue and duty, the 
 true happiness of life, and the most lasting tranquillity of the 
 heart are to be obtained. Waver not, now, in this joy-pro- 
 ducing conviction, when thou seest sinners outwardly pros- 
 perous in their course of iniquity. Soon is their apparent 
 happiness gone, and all their glare for ever vanished : soon 
 from all this felicity there remains nothing but remorse and 
 despair. O ! how totally different is the lot of the pious ! 
 He flourishes like a tree planted by the side of fresh waters ; 
 his leaves wither not ; his joys pass not away ; his fruit is 
 never blighted. His fame is as lasting as his happiness, and 
 his name is written in the catalogue of the blessed. 
 
 All-sacred Being, when I contemplate this happiness, I 
 feel myself strengthened for the zealous performance of virtue. 
 I know and believe that in the paths of piety and wisdom 
 alone walks true felicity. Lord, give me grace that this cer- 
 tainty may also influence my will most ardently to court this 
 felicity, and prefer it to all the happiness of the earth, which 
 generally exists only in imagination. Keep this day, likewise, 
 thy eyes over me, that I may not wander into the mazes of 
 perdition. Preserve me from the snares that may be set for 
 my youth or my experience. Invigorate me in battling 
 against sin and the enchantments of life. Endure me with 
 pitying compassion when I fall into errors. Accomplish thy 
 work in me, and hereafter vouchsafe to me the crown of righte- 
 ousness. Happy, inexpressibly happy shall I be, if already 
 here in this world thou art everything to me, as in heaven 
 thou wilt be all in all. 
 
 OCTOBER 25. 
 
 God addressed as the all-wise and beneficent Creator. 
 
 exalted in the firmament that sun which now skirts the 
 distant horizon with gold ? Who clothes it in majesty ? Who 
 
WITH GOD. 441 
 
 feeds the stars with light? Thou, thou, Almighty Being, 
 thou dost all this. Thy hand has made the heavens, has fixed 
 in them the fiery ball of the sun, and pointed out to the stars 
 their orbits. From thee and through thee are all things that 
 exist. This is my first feeling at the view of the beams of the 
 morn : this is the first thank-offering that I bring to thee, 
 thou Supreme Ruler of the world. My first look is directed 
 to thee, thou highest and most adorable Deity. Whither 
 could I indeed bend my gaze, and not perceive the most visi- 
 ble signs of thy presence, or find excitement to praise thy 
 illustrious name ? I myself am a wonder of thy might, and 
 a speaking monument of thy goodness. The earth, with all 
 that it contains, is a masterpiece of thy hands ; and the hea- 
 vens are the offspring of thy omnipotence ! Those celestial 
 bodies which float in harmonious order in the boundlessness 
 of space, and in proportion with which the earth is but a par- 
 ticle of sand, proclaim to me the greatness of thy power, and 
 the incalculable extent of thy dominion. Who has said to 
 the sun : " Rule thou the day ? " and to the moon : " Be 
 the luminary of the night?" Who has prescribed their 
 course to the planets ? Thou, even thou, who marshallest 
 the starry host according to their number, and callest them 
 all by name. 
 
 And among these astonishing productions of thy power I 
 also am ranked. Small though I am, when I compare my- 
 self to those gigantic masses of worlds, still dare I to boast 
 that I am a creature sprung from thy hand. Verily I 
 cannot but be amazed when I reflect that so sublime and 
 so mighty a God humbles himself so low as to think of 
 man, who is merely dust, and who so often, by his transgres- 
 sions, renders himself undeserving of the favour of his Crea- 
 tor. I am indeed compelled to look up to thee with awful 
 dread, thou source of all perfections. But when I consider 
 again how much I owe to thy Son, my Mediator, O ! how 
 ample appears to me then the dignity which thou hast con- 
 ferred upon me. 
 
 In the name of this everlasting Son I worship thee, Parent 
 of creation. I know not how better to sanctify this early hour 
 than by bending my whole soul to the contemplation of thy 
 supremacy and grace. But grant that the consciousness of 
 thy Almighty goodness may remain as forcible with nie, 
 
442 MORNING COMMUNINGS 
 
 during the wnole day, as it now is. If at any time pride 
 should lay hold of ine, let me think of thy greatness, that it 
 may inspire me with humility. Should I become distrustful 
 and of little faith, remind me of thy omnipotence, which is 
 united with such infinite goodness. Would I hearken to sin, 
 represent to me thy holy and fearful majesty, before the glance 
 of which not even the purest can subsist. Am I inclined to 
 be merciless or uncharitable towards my brethren, teach me to 
 remember those indescribable benefits which thou daily 
 heapest upon me, notwithstanding all my unworthiness. All 
 that I see on earth ought to urge me to thee ; ought to exalt the 
 love which I entertain for thee, and heighten my veneration. 
 In all ought thy glorious name to be extolled by me. In 
 this manner must I prepare myself for the happiness that is 
 placed before me in the blessed life of immortality, in which 
 during all eternity, I shall incessantly behold, admire, and 
 adore thy greatness. 
 
 OCTOBER 26. 
 
 Instability of the World, of the Heart, and of temporal 
 Peace. 
 
 I LIVE in the world, as if on a boisterous sea, where storms 
 and tempests every moment produce threatening dangers, 
 where frightful darkness often suddenly succeeds to serene 
 sunshine, and where man is so often abandoned, a helpless 
 prey to destruction, or sees himself at once rapidly shot 
 away from the haven of his toilsome voyage. When I fancy 
 that I have found a place of rest, I am compelled to com- 
 mence my course again. All things decline, all perish, all 
 fall to pieces before my eyes. A great part of the world, 
 that I beheld when I first entered into it, is no more. New 
 characters tread the stage, and even these prepare themselves 
 already for their exit. On earth hardly anything happens 
 according to my wish. What I love, withdraws itself from 
 me ; what I desire, I do not obtain ; and what I dread, over- 
 takes me. Never am I completely happy. If prosperity 
 smiles upon me, health is wanting : am I in health, prospe- 
 
WITH GOD. 443 
 
 rity is not with me : am I learned, I have numerous dis- 
 tractions : am I ignorant, I suffer through contempt : am I 
 exalted, I become a butt to envy: am I mean in station, 
 the multitude deride me. How variable also is my heart ! 
 At this moment I cherish the design of serving God, and in 
 the following moment it is already suppressed by terrestrial 
 objects. There is within me a neverceasing interchange of 
 desire and repugnance, fear and hope, joy and vexation, 
 hatred and affection. I am scarcely for a moment similar to 
 myself, but the sporting-ball of mad passions, of unexpected 
 events, and of sorrowful cares. 
 
 This is the brief and true portraiture of life. So has it 
 hitherto happened, and so will it be in the future. As long 
 as I continue to live on earth, vanity and inconstancy will be 
 my lot. I shall every day perceive new proofs of the uneasi- 
 ness and the vicissitude of human existence. The health which 
 I now enjoy will, perhaps, ere evening, be turned into mortal 
 illness. The tranquillity which I now experience may, 
 perhaps, in the next hour yield to grievous disquiet. The 
 hope with which I now flatter myself is, perhaps, already 
 near to its disappointment. My heart, now filled with affec- 
 tion towards thee, may soon become insensible amid the tu- 
 mult of the world; and my whole happiness may have been 
 but as a morning dream. 
 
 Who knows what painful and afflicting change I shall this 
 day encounter ? This much is, however, certain, that I cannot 
 rejoin the world with any other sentiment than that with 
 which my whole life itself inspires me, that all is vanity ! 
 In the evening, perhaps sooner, 1 shall repeat this truth, after 
 Solomon, from my own conviction. O ! let me not then so 
 foolishly love that which is vain, and so inconsiderately 
 choose that which is unstable. I shall spare myself many a 
 bitter pang, if I use with moderation the world and its vain 
 possessions. I shall be able to secure to myself contentment 
 under the most unpleasant effects of the inconstancy of 
 mortal affairs, if I keep heaven always present to my mind, 
 that heaven where neither the vanity nor the sad vicissi- 
 tudes of this life find access. 
 
444 MORNING COMMUNINGS 
 
 OCTOBER 27. 
 
 Christ, the Shepherd. 
 
 O LORD, thou art the tender and faithful shepherd of my 
 soul. Would that I had never left the way in which thou 
 leadest me, and that I had always listened to thy call, and 
 not to that of the world and my own corrupted heart ! Then 
 should I not reap such bitter repentance from sowing the 
 seed of vanity, and from my foolish love of the world. With 
 what shame and regret do I now awake out of my trance ; 
 how impressively do I feel that I am not worthy of the high 
 dignity of belonging to Christ ! I turn back to thee, my Sa- 
 viour, and will now confide myself with sincere submission 
 to thy guidance. Conduct me to my everlasting weal; 
 graciously take charge of thy strayed wanderer ; spurn me 
 not from thee ; but forgive me my errors ; and heal my 
 blindness. I vow to thee undeviating fidelity and ardent 
 affection. 
 
 I know, O adorable Saviour, that thou art ready and wil- 
 ling to fulfil my desire, if I cherish an earnest longing to 
 turn to thy flock. Lo, I entreat thee most suppliantly to 
 draw me out of the world to thyself. Permit me riot to re- 
 main longer separated from thee, or to be longer deprived of 
 the greatest of all comforts that is left to me in this misery. 
 If I were abandoned to myself, alas ! I should become 
 eternally wretched. Lead me, thou Prince of blessedness, 
 by the road that conducts to heaven. Defend me through 
 thy grace, that I may not be carried away by the tempting 
 lusts of the earth ; but retain amid the charms of this life an 
 unsullied conscience. Should I this day run into false paths, 
 forsake me not, I beseech thee, but seek the lost sheep, and 
 bear me again to the fold. If thou be my Saviour, and if 
 thy light illuminate me, I shall have no cause to fear any 
 calamity, but shall be able to pass with joy even through the 
 valley of death. And at length, my Shepherd, thou wilt 
 conduct me to that place where I shall be for ever happy in 
 thy fellowship. This is the one thing, and the most momen- 
 tous, for which I humbly call upon thee. 
 
WITH GOD. 445 
 
 OCTOBER 28. 
 Instant Dedication of Oneself to God's Service. 
 
 As often as in the silent hours of meditation T reflect upon 
 myself, and prove my own heart, I perceive that my virtue is 
 still weak and imperfect, my faith still wavering, my heart 
 still impure and unsteady, and my follies still great and 
 deeply rooted. Dare I then, since I have yet so short a 
 time to live, delay my amendment till a distant period? 
 Did I even know with certainty, that death would not hurry 
 me off in the very years which I sacrifice to the world and 
 to sin, should I be justified in throwing away the precious 
 season allotted to me for my preparation for heaven ? Though 
 death should not unexpectedly assail me, should I become 
 even hoary and full of days ; should I then feel more strength 
 or more inclination for my reform? No, my long inter- 
 course with the world would more probably harden my 
 heart, blunt my sensibility, and render me wholly indifferent 
 to the salvation of my soul. And why should I not conse- 
 crate myself to God till my old age? he is the Lord of all 
 times and of every age. Is my life by any means too long, 
 that I should not entirely and solely devote it to the God 
 who has given it to me, and who promises to me an immortal 
 one hereafter in exchange for it ? 
 
 No, thou Author of my being, not for a moment longer 
 will I remain at a distance from thee. Even from this very 
 morning will I begin to listen to thy voice, which I have so 
 frequently slighted; choosing the way to which I have 
 hitherto been so averse, and tearing myself loose from the 
 world, which has hitherto held me in such close bondage. 
 But, O Lord, how often already have I formed this resolu- 
 tion ! Often I have sworn to thee love and fidelity, and 
 even as often I have left my. promise unfulfilled. I am not 
 for an instant master over my own heart. A thousand times 
 has the very next minute after I had resigned myself to thee 
 in sincerity, turned me aside from thee ; and, like a feeble, 
 faithless mortal, I have relapsed into the same state of spiri- 
 tual darkness, which I had so lately detested. Of what, 
 therefore, can I now assure thee, my God, with such a giddy 
 uncertain mind ? 
 
446 MORNING COMMUNINGS 
 
 O Lord, hasten with thy grace to my assistance. I now 
 stand profoundly impressed with strong emotion in thy pre- 
 sence ; let me not become again insensible. I now embrace 
 a laudable determination; let me not hereafter grow once 
 more irresolute. I vow to thee anew eternal truth ; let me 
 not become again the perjured violator of my sacred covenant. 
 Let me not, when I have re-entered into the world, withdraw 
 the offering which I now present to thee in solitude. The 
 obedience which I declare to thee, the love which I profess 
 to thee, and the fear in which I find myself to walk before 
 thee, must not pass over as swiftly as my morning devo- 
 tion. Make me more steadfast in thy service, less attached 
 to the world, and more resolute under temptations. De- 
 liver me from my fickleness, and take away from the 
 world the sway which it usurps over my heart. Under 
 the support of thy grace, I hope to-day to live more ac- 
 ceptably before thee than hitherto, and hereby obtain the 
 exalted felicity which those may expect from thee, who 
 continue dedicated to thee in changeless fidelity even until 
 death. 
 
 OCTOBER. 29. 
 
 Reasons for perfect Resignation to God. 
 
 COMPLETE resignation to the will of God is the surest means 
 of resisting and surmounting the perplexities and the troubles 
 of the present life. For who is the Lord, to whose will I 
 abandon myself? He is the Lord Almighty, who, with a 
 single word, can put an end to all my disquiet, who has suf- 
 ficent power in his hands to satisfy all my necessities, to 
 change my anxieties into hope, and extricate me out of all 
 hazards. Wisely, therefore, do I consult for my happiness 
 and tranquillity when I place my dependence on him. He 
 sendeth both counsel and help as often as I have need of 
 them. That which seemeth impossible to man is an easy 
 matter to his omnipotence: yea, the more vain the aid of 
 men appears, the more does he assist me and support me, in 
 order that I may expect everything from him, and not fix my 
 
WITH GOD. 447 
 
 reliance on mortals. It is even to the will of a wise God that 
 I submit myself. The wisest motives, and the kindest views, 
 always constitute the basis of his decrees, and adversity and 
 prosperity issue from the dispensations of the Lord of my ex- 
 istence. I dare not desire that his ordinances should be ex- 
 plicable to my narrowly confined understanding. I see not, 
 indeed, whither the way in which he leads me may carry me ; 
 but because his finger has traced it out I am enabled to ad- 
 vance in it without fear. 
 
 Great God, wherefore should I not confidently relinquish 
 my soul to thy charge ? What have I to dread if, on all oc- 
 casions, I fix my affiance in thee ? While I have hitherto 
 desired to be my own master, and the arbiter of my own fate, 
 so long have I erred in my own plans. The result has never 
 accorded with my own wishes, and with the principles of my 
 mode of action. I have derived no other profit from them, 
 than that of drawing upon myself every day new embarrass- 
 ments and new vexation. When I sought to establish secu- 
 rity for myself, I prepared for myself a fall That which I 
 deemed a defence rose against me. O ! my God, how much 
 safer it is when I leave thee to rule alone, and when I do no- 
 thing save that which thou wiliest. 
 
 Far be it then from me that I should begin this day also 
 with foolish schemes, and expect the happiness of my life, and 
 the success of my endeavours, from my own knowledge. No, 
 on God, and not on my own prudence, will I build my feli- 
 city, and never forget that everything rests on God's bless- 
 ing. I will live quietly and contentedly, and indulge no 
 cares and sorrows, but commend my steps to thee, my 
 Preserver. I will cast all apprehension into thy bosom, and 
 look forward, confiding in the wisdom wherewith thou wilt 
 govern it. I will submit myself to thee without seeking to 
 explore into thy purposes, or censuring thy appointments. All 
 that concerns me I will yield up to thy sway, arid so will my 
 peace and my happiness be complete. 
 
448 MORNING COMMUNINGS 
 
 OCTOBER 30 
 
 Necessity for Spiritual Vigilance. 
 
 MY hear., even in its best disposition, is always inclined to 
 carelessness and security. I am every moment exposed to 
 the danger of falling into sleep. I live here as it were in Jie 
 twilight, and in comparison with the spiritual world, may be 
 regarded as a man half in slumber and half awake. I here 
 behold heavenly things but darkly, and my faculties manifest 
 themselves with a very small effect. But I shall one day 
 awake to a new life of a more perfect nature, and then enter 
 into a wider circle of activity, shall strive with higher powers 
 to attain my aim, and then also be no more subject to sensual 
 influence. I cannot therefore be sufficiently watchful, nor 
 keep myself too constantly on my guard, that I may not sink 
 into perilous supineness. For in this world almost everything 
 tends, ere I am scarcely roused, to lull me again into my 
 torpor. The vain scenes of this life perpetually divert rny 
 thoughts from my eternal destination. They shut my eyes 
 against the impression of the better world, and all the objects 
 which appertain to it. Now earthly cares stun me, and 
 now the lusts of the world rock me in the cradle of deceitful 
 repose. 
 
 In this danger do I at present find myself, as I stand on 
 the point of entering anew into my intercourse with society 
 If I enter again upon life with too great a confidence in mi 
 strength, or abandon myself with heedlessness to the world, ~ 
 shall unquestionably be lost. Watch fulness is in all respects 
 absolutely necessary for me. The more I watch over my 
 soul, the more prepared shall I be for the coming of my Lore 
 and Judge, and the better qualified to satisfy all my duties 
 and obligations. I shall be less alarmed under disasters, i 
 my soul remains constantly mindful of its high destiny, am 
 my thoughts and actions have their place in heaven. 
 
 O God, awaken me out of the slumber in which I perhaps 
 still lie. I have already spent too great a portion of my life 
 in idleness and sleep. It is time to awake, since my salvation 
 is nearer at hand than I suppose. It is time to be watchful 
 since death is perhaps but a few paces distant from me 
 
WITH GOD. 449 
 
 Would that I might be as industrious in the business of my 
 soul as I shall to-day be in the affairs of my earthly existence. 
 Would that so many blessings, which I have once more to 
 anticipate from the mercy of God, so many chastisements, 
 which God will permit to have their course both in myself and 
 in others, so many stirrings of conscience which I experience, 
 would that all these incentives might have so much power 
 over my heart as to prompt me solicitously and seriously to 
 reflect on everything that may conduce to my peace ! O 
 Lord, I confess that it is not in my own ability to effect this. 
 But do thou awaken my heart, do thou move my conscience, 
 and probe me to the innermost of my soul. Let this day be 
 an image of my future life, as the past night was an image of 
 my former conduct. Let me fulfil all my duties with alacrity 
 and zeal, and ever retain a lively remembrance of the destina- 
 tion to which through Christ Jesus, I am called. 
 
 I 
 
 OCTOBER 31. 
 
 The different Recollections of different Men at the Close 
 of the Month. 
 
 How can I otherwise than with exultation and thanksgiving 
 come before thee, O Lord, three Persons and one God, now 
 that I am about to pass with the present day over an impor- 
 tant stage of my pilgrimage ? In a few hours this month 
 also, which composes so considerable a portion of my life, 
 will be at an end. Many of my brethren will perhaps to- 
 day calculate all the advantages and earthly gain which this 
 month has conferred upon them. The libertine will review, 
 in memory, the pleasures in \vhich he has absorbed and dissi- 
 pated his time, and invent new intoxications for his reckless 
 Heart. The miser will compute the sums which he has col- 
 lected, and devise new plans for the increase of his treasures, 
 and with these for the multiplication of his cares. The man of 
 learning will congratulate himself on the knowledge which 
 he has acquired through his labour and perseverance ; and 
 his spirit, occupied in new researches, will long anxiously 
 after new attainments. And thus each, according ta his cir- 
 
 20 
 
 [WITIBSITT] 
 
450 MORNING COMMUNINOS 
 
 cumstances and propensities, will seek those ideas which 
 afford to him agreeable recollections. And what can I do 
 better than employ myself with the remembrance of those 
 benefits which the benignant hand of my Preserver has 
 throughout one entire month showered down upon my head, 
 and venerate and praise this ^beneficent and blessing good- 
 ness ? 
 
 Be praised, O Lord, my Benefactor, for the innumerable 
 multitude of the tokens of thy love with which thou hast 
 enriched me ! All has been kindness that I have received 
 from thee ; and those dispensations, which my obscure under- 
 standing deemed evil, have been pure benefactions. I should 
 undoubtedly be far more hardened, insensible, and light- 
 minded, had I not become wiser through thy humiliations. 
 I thank thee, therefore, likewise, on account of the suffer- 
 ings which I have in this period experienced, and by which 
 I have been rendered more rational and lowly. 
 
 Be praised for the indulgence and long-forbearing patience 
 with which thou hast dealt with me in my transgressions and 
 my follies ! Ah ! Lord, how justly had I deserved to be 
 visited by thy punishments, and snatched off from the earth. 
 But, in all my offences, thou hast cherished towards me the 
 thoughts of peace; and, for this, in deep reverence do I 
 adore thee. 
 
 Be praised for this precious and blissful moment, in which, 
 thou all-hallowed Being, I am permitted to discourse with 
 thee in prayer ! Look down upon me with an eye of appro- 
 bation, and hear me when I call upon thee. Forgive me, for 
 Jesus' sake, those hours of which the end of this month so 
 painfully reminds me. Pardon my ingratitude, through 
 which I have wronged thee and debased myself. Absolve 
 me from my hidden and unperceived faults, O thou my God 
 and my Father. Rule me through thy Spirit, so that amid 
 the feelings of abashment with which I reflect on the past 
 days, I may at least be able to think of this closing day of 
 the month without shame and without regret. 
 
WITH GOD. 451 
 
 NOVEMBER 1. 
 
 The Sinner's Comfort. 
 
 NOTWITHSTANDING all that I may invent or allege in order 
 to diminish my guilt, and to screen and defend my errors, it 
 is still in vain that I seek to deceive myself. Yes, I am a 
 sinner, and even my most sincere and painful repentance 
 cannot expiate the offences with which my conscience accuses 
 me. O ! that I could erase out of the book of my life those 
 transgressions of which I cannot think without shame ! 
 Yet, praised be God ! even, under the conviction of my cul- 
 pability, comfort and consolation do not fail me ! My faith 
 is that which consoles me : from the cross of my Saviour 
 there comes a balsam for my wounded heart ; my soul cheer- 
 eth itself with the thought of its divine Redeemer, who, 
 though he knew no sin, yet died the death of sinners, that 
 he might cancel the guilt of his fallen brethren. But do I 
 then also belong to the ransomed of Jesus ? Dare I boast 
 that I have a participation in the benefits of his atoning 
 death ? 
 
 I cannot bear the glorious testimony to myself, that I have 
 faithfully followed the footsteps of my Lord and Saviour : I 
 know not if he would recognise me for his own, if I should 
 be now raised up to him through death ; but I know that I 
 believe in him with sincerity, and therefore I shall not be lost, 
 but have eternal life. Would only that my faith had always 
 shown itself in my conduct ! would that it had been visible 
 in deeds of love and mercy ! But how often have I forgot- 
 ten that it pleases Christ to know his followers by the love 
 which they bear to each other ! How often have I violated 
 his most particular and chief commandment when anger and 
 enmity envenomed and agitated my soul ! O ! that I might 
 yet succeed in becoming like unto thee, my master and pat- 
 tern, and so love, as thou lovest thy household, even to the 
 end ! O ! that I might for ever banish from my heart every 
 feeling of enmity, all uncharitableness, and all obduracy, and 
 become, as thou wast, gentle and humble ! 
 
452 MORNIJNTG COMMUNING3 
 
 NOVEMBER 2. 
 
 The Emptiness of Honour, Riches, and Prosperity. 
 
 OUGHT I not to thank thee, thou Source of life, who per- 
 mittest me again to behold another day ? Ought I not to 
 praise thee, thou Father of light, through whose grace I am 
 allowed to enjoy the light of this morning ? For although 
 human life is filled to the brim with so much disquietude and 
 so many troubles and sorrows, that its prolongation may be 
 considered as an increase of afflictions, yet I have sufficient 
 reason to regard it entirely on the opposite side, and to con- 
 sider every day which God vouchsafes to me as an especial 
 blessing. It is not earthly goods which make me happy : 
 neither honour, riches, nor prosperity are capable of satisfy- 
 ing my spirit ! only the consciousness of innocence, of truth, 
 and of piety, produces for me that peace of mind, without 
 which no real felicity can subsist. Should I then, indeed, 
 envy him who forgets God, and to whom everything in the 
 world happens according to his wish, but whom punishment 
 will overtake, and whom even in the midst of his pleasures, 
 his bad conscience often torments ? No; I will be contented 
 with the humble lot which God has assigned to me, and 
 which, small as it is, far surpasses my deserts. I will rea- 
 dily dispense with many conveniences and gratifications, I 
 will bear with patience and composure every other species of 
 calamity, if I have no reproaches of conscience to endure. 
 For among all distresses, the pangs of remorse are the most 
 severe, and amid all losses, there is not one so irreparable as 
 that of the grace and approbation of God. The recollection 
 of good actions, the assurance of the friendship of my God, 
 the hope of a recompense rich in the divine favour, these 
 possessions diffuse such rapture through my whole soul, that 
 I would not exchange them for all the treasures of the earth. 
 I can never repent of having made such a sacrifice if I re- 
 linquish terrestrial advantages and delights to retain a pure 
 conscience ; I can never regret any worldly detriment which 
 I may have sustained through integrity, and the faithful dis- 
 charge of my duties ; and it will be easy for me to support 
 every temporal want if I am abundant in holiness. 
 
WITH GOD. 453 
 
 What could, indeed, happen to me under which my un- 
 defiled conscience and my faith would not be able to afford 
 me abundant comfort ? Therefore do I accept, O Lord, thy 
 benefaction, which furnishes to me a more extended period 
 of life without murmuring ; for I have weighed the natural 
 uneasiness of our mortal condition and the happiness of a 
 tranquillized heart against one another, and I have found the 
 scale inclined to the latter. I thank thee for this day, as a 
 precious opportunity which I may employ in my preparation 
 for eternity. O ! let me spend it, I beseech thee, under thy 
 gracious charge and governance. Above all, never let the 
 purpose and scope of my life depart from my eyes, but let 
 me throughout all my doings, evince that I am forcibly per- 
 suaded of my destination for immortality. 
 
 NOVEMBER 3. 
 
 The Weakness of the Heart. 
 
 WHEN I inquire whence it arises that I so often relapse into 
 the errors which I had abjured both before God and to my- 
 self, I find, with regret, that my own heart is the foe which 
 I must vanquish, and that the instability, carelessness, and 
 timidity of this heart constitute the exhaustless sources of 
 my discontent. I know and feel its weakness, but I never 
 succeed so far as to change this weakness into strength. 
 How often have I deemed myself strong enough to resist 
 the charms of sin, and yet fall i^nominiously subdued : and 
 never was I further from conquest than when I foolishly 
 assured myself of victory. O ! how was my pride con- 
 founded when I felt sensible of the feebleness of my heart 
 anew, and at the same time, perceived the bonds with which 
 the lust of evil had enchained me? I saw my enemy from 
 afar, I went steadfastly towards him courageously to fell him 
 to the ground ; but, ere I reached him, I was myself thrown 
 down by the snare which he had laid for my rashness, and 
 I became the slave of a vile insidious victor. In what com- 
 pany O ! how ashamed is my heart of this was I com- 
 pelled to adorn his triumph ! And how should I, at length, 
 
454 MORNING COMMUNINGS 
 
 have been lost without rescue, if the Champion out of Judah 
 had not come to deliver me from my destruction ! 
 
 To him I am indebted for knowing the weakness of my 
 heart ; for the means by which to remedy the defect ; and 
 for being able to watch over myself and to pray. To him I 
 owe the fortitude arising from the belief that God will send 
 me assistance if I earnestly supplicate him for it. And how 
 frequently have I already experienced this support when I 
 have undertaken a good work ; have opposed a temptation 
 which I could not avoid ; have made a sacrifice which the 
 duty of love required from me; or have endured with pa- 
 tience a suffering which exposed my constancy to a severe 
 ordeal. 
 
 Be, therefore, comforted, my soul! Thou hast already 
 gained much when thou perceivest thy own weakness. That 
 thou hast so often hitherto failed arose from this, that thou 
 conceivedst thyself capable of standing by thy own force 
 alone. Thou art frail, and for this very reason thou hast 
 need of a stay. Look and behold Jesus, who has done 
 penance for thy sins ; thy Jesus himself was tempted for 
 thee. He knows the whole force of allurements ; the peril 
 of temptations ; and the hardships of the battle against 
 wickedness. Shall he not come forward, overflowing with 
 affection, to the aid of thy infirmity ? Yes ; rich in help, 
 he accompanies thee in the might of his love. O ! my Sa- 
 viour, let me then be evermore convincingly persuaded of 
 the weakness of my heart, but not less so of thy willing 
 readiness to sustain me in all my trials. Then shall I never 
 let my courage sink, but, as long as I live, continue to com- 
 bat, relying on thy divine, invincible power, and ultimately 
 crown myself with victory. 
 
 NOVEMBER 4. 
 
 Time not sufficiently valued. 
 
 How rich is my own life and the life of every man in the 
 wonders of divine mercy, how rich in memorials of the 
 divine omnipotence and wisdom ! Every new living day 
 
WITH GOD. 455 
 
 which God presents to me to me who so often, in my fool- 
 ish blindness, occupy myself in abridging my life is a new 
 instance of heavenly compassion. For what is more precious, 
 what comprehends more blessings, or is more conducive to 
 my salvation, than time, this season of preparation for eter- 
 nity ? When I employ it with strict care ; when I allow no 
 hour to be lost in idle indolence or in sinful lust ; when, with 
 renovated and invigorated zeal, I every day prosecute the 
 business of my moral improvement, of my amendment, and 
 of my spiritual edification ; O ! then I sow that seed whose 
 fruit I shall eternally enjoy, and prepare for myself a felicity 
 that cannot be disturbed. Therefore ought a single squan- 
 dered or lost moment to occasion me more sorrow than if I 
 had been disappointed in some great expectation of pros- 
 perity. And yet this time, which is so valuable, is often a 
 burden to me ; yet do I long after amusements in order to 
 shorten it ; yet is my whole life nothing else but one inces- 
 sant exertion to destroy it ! So inconsiderately, so negli- 
 gently, and so foolishly do I act in regard to the most im- 
 portant gift which God has entrusted to me. My service I 
 reserve for my friends ; my benefits for my favourites ; my 
 power and interest for my relations ; my commendations for 
 those who seem to deserve them : but my time I lavish upon 
 the whole world, and leave it a prey to every one. 
 
 But shall I then always continue merely to make these 
 complaints against myself, without ever inquiring how I may 
 become wiser? Shall I delay to avail myself of the hours, 
 the use of which must decide my everlasting destiny ? Shall 
 I still live without knowing why I do live ? Shall I still 
 throw away that time of the value of which I am convinced? 
 Ah ! God, preserve me from this misfortune which might be 
 the origin of my eternal perdition. Here I must put a stop 
 to my thoughtless insanity. I must compute the time which 
 I have already extravagantly dissipated, and employ to the 
 utmost advantage those days which may still remain to me. 
 Whether their number shall be great or small, I am in both 
 cases unfortunate, if I devote them not to a good purpose. 
 Should I still live long, my apology will be the more diffi- 
 cult. Should my period be short, I may be called unex- 
 pectedly to that tribunal by which my eternal fate will be 
 determined. Lord, render me wise unto salvation, and let 
 
456 MORNING COMMUNINGS 
 
 me to this end employ all my days, hours, and minutes, 
 according to thy will 
 
 NOVEMBER 5. 
 
 Working out Salvation. 
 
 EVERY morning is a new incitement to me to labour for my 
 salvation, in like manner as it is for me a new encourage- 
 ment to exert myself with integrity and zeal in my earthly 
 affairs. In regard to the latter, I shall be instigated by my 
 own interest to act as providently and as circumspectly as 
 possible. The smallest advantage puts me in motion, and 
 prompts my most strenuous endeavours. The care of my 
 prosperity, the duties of my vocation, my domestic cares, toil 
 and rest, each has its peculiar and fixed hours and moments. 
 But am I also in respect to my eternal welfare thus earnest, 
 thus busy, thus industrious ? does the salvation of my soul 
 lie as closely to my heart as my worldly happiness ? 
 
 If I regard my past life, and act on the same principles as 
 I have hitherto observed, this question will be speedily re- 
 solved. Hitherto I have allowed myself to be besotted by 
 the error of the great multitude. Hitherto I have devoted 
 to salvation only the fragments of my time, while I have be- 
 stowed the almost entire portion on the world. Hitherto I 
 have offered but moments to God, while I have sacrificed to 
 myself whole days and years. Hitherto I have done every- 
 thing for the world, and nothing for heaven. And my heart 
 prophesies to me that the present day will be spent by me in 
 similar endeavours. But what judgment shall I one day 
 form of that contradiction in which I am involved with my 
 self, of that carelessness with which I trifle with my eternal 
 welfare, of that levity with which I advance forward to the 
 day of retribution ? Where will my soul find rest, when it 
 suddenly beholds itself at the termination of its mortal course ? 
 What shall I reply to the Judge, when he extorts from me 
 an account of the manner in which I have employed my ex- 
 istence? It is in this point of view that I ought to consider 
 all my actions ; according to this scale I must measure all 
 
WITH GOD. 457 
 
 my works and performances. Herein consists the wisdom 
 which my Saviour has recommended to me. I may have 
 great natural powers, yet if I employ them not to my salva- 
 tion I am still a child. I may possess all science, but if I 
 am void of godly knowledge I am still a fool. I may ob- 
 tain immense riches, but if 1 lose the treasures of heaven, I 
 am still the poorest among men. I may be invested with all 
 privileges and dignities, but if the nobility of Christianity 
 does not decorate me, then am I contemptible. These are 
 the sole maxims according to which I ought to decide upon 
 my conduct, and they are those, in unison with which God 
 himself will at his own season pass sentence upon them. O ! 
 then, nothing ought to be so precious to me as solicitude for 
 my perpetual felicity. Besides this I have, properly speak- 
 ing, nothing to do in the world. Of my whole life this is 
 the only real and essential concern. All the rest is a mere 
 vision and delusive trickery, if it stand not in connexion with 
 my eternal destiny. My soul's salvation must therefore, 
 during this whole day, constitute my chief and serious busi- 
 ness. The fear of God must sanctify all my efforts ; faith 
 must discipline them ; religion must animate them ; reve- 
 rence for the Lord must direct them. In a word, salvation 
 must be the centre towards which all my actions must tend. 
 
 NOVEMBER 6. 
 
 Duty of being prepared for Death. 
 
 WHEREFORE ought I, as often as I awake from sleep to new 
 existence, immediately to think of death? Wherefore ought 
 I, ere my eyes are yet fully opened, to anticipate the hour in 
 which they must be closed for ever? Wherefore ought 
 I, when I am but just entering into the world, to revert in 
 idea to the time when I must bid it my perpetual farewell ? 
 If I consider how nearly my life touches to the confines of 
 death, and how unexpectedly the latter may invade me, I 
 cannot fail to conclude that it is both wise and necessary to 
 connect reflections on death with thoughts of life. The 
 single conviction that my final hour may suddenly surprise 
 
458 MORNJNO COMMUNINGS 
 
 me, is more than sufficient to instigate my heart to uninter- 
 rupted preparation for the arrest of its now animated pulse. 
 
 ! how rich is the harvest which death this morning cuts 
 down ! How many will in this very hour in which I am 
 decking the early altar of devotion with its humble offerings, 
 pour forth to God their last prayer in this world ! Let me 
 transport myself in imagination where I please, there is no 
 single moment to be found which may not prove my last. 
 There has been no deed of renown which has not terminated 
 in the grave. There is no day of festivity which may not 
 finish in funeral celebration. There is no food that may not 
 become for me a fatal poison. There is no sleep that may 
 riot convey me to the long slumber of the tomb ; no morning 
 which may not deliver me over to the steeled arm of death ; 
 no indisposition which may not bring with it the fiat of my 
 decease. 
 
 By what argument, therefore, can I justify the inattention 
 with whkh I live with regard to my last hour ? Shall it be 
 my youth ? but this is the very thing, on account of which 
 
 1 take to myself heed ; for it is actually the most dangerous 
 period of human life : or is it my firm health ? but the best 
 health is a mere spark, which the slightest puff may ex- 
 tinguish. Shall I then allege my temperance and regularity 
 of living ? Alas ! neither are these any impregnable ram- 
 part against the assaults of death. It is therefore, in every 
 point of view, essentially requisite that I should keep my end 
 continually before my eyes, and, through the grace of God, 
 advance myself into that state in which I must desire to die. 
 
 And, O ! would that the undiverted influence of these me- 
 ditations on death which I this morning pursue, might ac- 
 company me through every part of the day ! Would that I 
 might hence draw incitement to godliness and philanthropy, 
 and consolation under the various disasters of life ! Would 
 that so many instances of mortality as every day presents to 
 me, might lead me to the natural reflection that I, like all 
 my brethren, am only dust and ashes ! And would, more- 
 over, that I might then be so wise as to consider maturely 
 and effectively that which will follow after death ! The 
 wiser I become in this respect, the happier will be my days 
 here, and the more tranquil will be their termination. 
 
WITH GOD. 459 
 
 NOVEMBER 7. 
 The proper Estimate of Life. 
 
 SINCE every new day introduces thee, O ! my heart, into a 
 new school of trial, struggle, and temptation, do thou imbibe 
 those lessons of wisdom which are able to promise thee a 
 happy issue out of all thy trials, and a soothing cordial 
 under all thy sufferings. Consider, in the first place, that 
 God is not indebted to thee, and that, did it please him to 
 exercise his equity towards thee, thou wouldst have nothing 
 to expect but want and misery. On this account, therefore, 
 receive the afflictions of life as the only portion that is due to 
 thee; but regard the good which thou enjoyest as nothing 
 else than the free gift of the All-bountiful. The earth is not 
 formed to be a heaven, neither is it a valley of misery, not- 
 withstanding that the impatience and the ingratitude of men 
 often apply to it that appellation ; and that their folly, their 
 lawlessness, and their inconsiderateness often in many respects 
 render it so. It is well for me that the world is no heaven, 
 and that this temporal life is no perfectly happy existence; 
 for it is through this very circumstance that life becomes a 
 school of trial, and instructs me in wisdom and piety : though 
 even in an imperfect condition, joy and felicity will not 
 abandon me, if I be but contented, holy, and devoted to God. 
 For then do I chiefly experience pleasure when sufferings 
 have been surmounted, when a calamity has been sustained, 
 or a difficulty overcome. And how gloriously has the bene- 
 volence of my God frequently exhibited itself towards me in 
 my evil days, and manifested the wisdom of his ordinances ! 
 how often have I been moved to confess that even troubles 
 are the blessings of the Lord ! If I am thankful, abounding 
 in trust, humble, and patient, I owe it to the distresses which 
 God has appointed to me, to the trials to which he has sub- 
 jected me, to the burdens which he has given me to carry. 
 Without these my heart would not have been purified, nor 
 my soul exalted, nor my spirit furnished with treasure for 
 the skies. 
 
 Such reflections ought, under the Divine support, to con- 
 firm me still more in patience, and encourage me to be con- 
 
460 MORNING COMMUNINGS 
 
 fp .nted with whatever my heavenly Parent decrees to me. 
 But patience will not only produce mildness of temper, and 
 impart to me the resolution of fortitude, but it will also render 
 the heaviest oppression of adversity light, or at all events 
 supportable. If I am wise, I shall fear no misfortune except 
 the displeasure of my Creator and Benefactor, and so live 
 that I may always hold myself assured of his favour. And 
 what is there beside that ought to vex or disquiet me ? The 
 most poignant pains are nothing if they bring me nearer to 
 that happiness which consists in unvaried contentment. Po- 
 verty is nothing, if I obtain the riches which God has laid up 
 for me above. The contempt of the world is nothing, if I 
 oppose to it the approbation of the Lord. Life itself is no- 
 thing, when compared with a blessed existence in heaven. 
 Yea, death is nothing ; for it is the beginning of an infinitely 
 better life. 
 
 NOVEMBER 8. 
 
 On the Baptismal Vows. 
 
 WHILE yet, void of consciousness, I lay in helpless speech- 
 lessness in the arms of my mother, I was even then, through 
 baptism, dedicated to the worship of God ; and my holy vow, 
 on the day of my solemn admission among the professors of 
 Jesus Christ, confirmed the promise of my sponsors. How 
 sacredly am I bound in duty, from time to time, to examine 
 whether I have faithfully fulfilled this pious vow, which I 
 made with the most heartfelt emotion, and whether I have 
 wisely directed my life in the spirit of Christ Jesus, used my 
 precious time with fidelity, loved my brethren disinterestedly, 
 and zealously striven after the things which are above. 
 Praise be to thee, my God and Father, that, enlightened by 
 thy word, invigorated by thy grace, and comforted and 
 soothed by thy promises, I am enabled to institute this scru- 
 tiny of my heart without dread and without shame, and to 
 look back with joy to that portion of my life's course which 
 lies behind me. This exercise of my memory is not indeed 
 so completely blessed that I can regard the past with perfect 
 
WITH GOD. 461 
 
 satisfaction ; for my conscience accuses me of having often, 
 in the indolence and levity of my mind, broken the vow of my 
 youth, and often denied the Lord, whose hallowed name I am 
 privileged to bear. Yet does my conscience not merely ac- 
 cuse me only ; it also testifies in my behalf, that I have been 
 always uprightly assiduous in repairing committed errors, and 
 that with sincere repentance and deep confusion, I confessed 
 my sin lo thee, thou holy and just One, as often as I had 
 transgressed thy commandments ! it testifies to me that I have 
 never ceased from labouring to improve my heart. Have 
 I unfortunately not succeeded, O my God, in becoming 
 wholly well-pleasing to thee, and worthy of thy blessing ; 
 yet still I dare to comfort myself with thy grace, dare to ap- 
 proach thee with filial confidence in prayer, and dare to re- 
 joice in the belief that thou lookest upon me with love, and in 
 the hope that thou wilt not withdraw from me thy blessing, 
 if I am devoted to thee in changeless fidelity, and keep thy 
 law before my eyes. 
 
 I renew to-day, in all singleness of heart, the vow of my 
 early years ; I think with confusion and regret on the errors 
 by which I have disturbed the peace of my bosom, trifled 
 with thy blessings, and rendered them nugatory. I am ear- 
 nestly resolved to renounce the world and its lusts, and to 
 bend all my efforts to my eternal welfare : this will invest me 
 with felicity in heaven, when thou bestowest upon me the 
 crown of righteousness, that thou retainest in store for thy 
 true worshippers. No longer shall the world with its delu- 
 sions lead my soul astray ; no longer shall wicked passions 
 and impure desires rule over it ; I will raise myself to the 
 dignity of the free children of God, by the conquest of my 
 evil imaginations, and the improvement of my reason. Far 
 be from me all conceit, even as if I were already perfect ; far, 
 too, be all carelessness and security ; sacred be to me, as long 
 as I live, the vow which I made to thee, my Saviour, when 
 I wab received into the fellowship of thy followers, into the 
 bosom of thy church, and into the number of thy redeemed. 
 Every day will I repeat it with supplications, and never will 
 I be ashamed of thy gospel, however little thousands among 
 my brethren may honour and prize it ; for it is, and will ever 
 remain, a working of the power of God, to make all blessed 
 who believe in it. 
 
462 MORNING COMMUNItfGS 
 
 NOVEMBER 9. 
 
 The Prosperity of the Ungodly not to be envied. 
 
 I HAVE no cause to envy the ungodly on account of their 
 prosperity. Never will I supplicate thee, O Lord, for posses- 
 sions which may be dangerous to my heart, and which afford no 
 lasting enjoyment. I desire not the destructive repose into which 
 the vicious allow themselves to be lulled ; nor the wealth on 
 which sighs and execrations may rest ; nor the voluptuous 
 pleasures which debase men to brutes ; nor the glitter of that 
 honour which may render me contemptible both to thee and 
 to the upright; nor that uninterrupted prosperity which 
 brings with it so much dissatisfaction. The only object of my 
 wishes, the propitious accomplishment of which I expect from 
 thee this day, is, that thou mayst be gracious to me. I covet 
 not to share with them the false splendour which encircles thy 
 despisers. But I cry to thee, that thou wouldst grant to me 
 that power and strength which are needful to me, if I am not 
 to be dazzled by this deceitful glare. I cry to thee for thy 
 grace, that thou wouldst maintain in me that faith and right- 
 eousness which are the only wealth of the soul, and the only 
 prerogatives that can claim for me thy approbation. Defend 
 my soul from the temptations of the impious. I care not, 
 then, how pitiable and foolish I may appear in their opinion. 
 How could this, indeed, vex me, if thou deemest me deserv- 
 ing of thy compassion and thy favour ? Can the world, which 
 denies thee, highly estimate those who adore thee ? Can the 
 world, which finds its happiness and its joys in iniquity, pro- 
 mote my felicity ? 
 
 No, I am convinced that the world cannot render me really 
 happy. I expect the happiness at which I aspire, not from 
 the world, but from thee alone, O my God. Thou permittest 
 me to taste here already on earth, the first fruits of this happi- 
 ness of bliss, through that peace of conscience, and that quiet 
 of the heart, which are inseparable from virtue. These delicious 
 sensations are frequently indeed disturbed through the deep 
 corruptions of the world and of my own heart itself, through 
 the dangers to which I am exposed, and through the adversi- 
 ties which I encounter. I only half feel the felicity which 
 
 ! 
 
WITH GOD. 463 
 
 attends upon godliness ; but this little which thou givest me 
 to enjoy excites my thirst, and increases my longing after 
 more. * If even this feeble fruition is already so potent as to 
 indemnify me for all calamities, and to keep me erect under 
 all assaults of misfortune, what must then be the effect, when 
 I shall be placed in a state of unceasing peace, and of full and 
 perfect enjoyment ? How will it then be when I shall find my- 
 self in the bosom of thy affection, and become a participator 
 of that blessedness which leaves to the saints nothing further 
 to wish for ? Then, O Jesus, will my joy be complete, and my 
 entire longing contented. I shall then occupy myself only 
 with the contemplation of thy glory. This employment will 
 be for me an inexpressible and ever-new gratification. Yes, 
 this supreme happiness will know no bounds, except the 
 bounds of thy eternity. 
 
 NOVEMBER 10. 
 
 Sins of Youth. 
 
 WHERE should I be, great God, if thou hadst not spread 
 out thy hand over me ? Into what abyss of error, extrava- 
 gance, and folly, would the sins of my youth have preci- 
 pitated me, if thou, thyself, hadst not dragged me back, with 
 a strong arm, from the destruction to which 1 was so near, 
 and hadst not graciously and tenderly protected me ? But 
 erase from my memory for ever, O merciful Lord, these 
 frightful images, of which I cannot even think without shame, 
 contrition, and tears. I will not justify myself before thee : 
 but thou knowest, compassionate Father, that levity and foible 
 had more part in my juvenile guilt than impiety or contempt 
 of thy statutes. It is true, I confess, that my heart withdrew 
 itself from thy commandments, but it had not entirely cast oft 
 the yoke of thy Divine respect. It still honoured the God 
 whom it renounced. It still trembled with dread before the 
 Judge, though it roused him to vengeance. The power of the 
 senses bore it along ; but the faith and the grace of Jesus,which 
 everywhere accompanied me, always arrested me on the brink 
 of the gulf. In my mental darkness I supposed that the sea- 
 
464 MORNING COMMUNINGS 
 
 son of youth belonged entirely to sensual pleasure. Exam- 
 ple and common consent seemed to confirm me in my error, 
 as if all time appertained not to thee, and as if thou wert not 
 the God of every period, and of every age of human existence. 
 O Lord, enter not into judgment with me, because of the 
 sins of my youth, and remember not those transgressions 
 which arose from rashness and ignorance. Annihilate this 
 portion of my life, which I have spent in offending thee : blot 
 it out of the book of thy retribution. I have in reality, O my 
 God, lived only since I began to love thee and to be worthy 
 of thy grace. I will constantly, O Lord, renew the remem- 
 brance of thy mercy. But do thou continue to show me thy 
 ways. Do thou thyself clear the ascents by which I am to 
 proceed to them. Be my conductor and my support during 
 my pilgrimage. If thou deniest me not the aid of thy Spirit, 
 then mayst thou strew my path either with briars or with 
 flowers, since, when I am once on thy road, thy guidance will 
 render everything easy and pleasant ; and I shall, finally, 
 through thy mercy, arrive at the shrine of my faith, the bliss 
 of my soul. I resign myself, both for this day and for my 
 whole life, to thy governance, and to the direction of thy Holy 
 Spirit. Abandon me not, and take not awa} from me thy 
 hand, O God, who art the horn of my salvation! 
 
 NOVEMBER 11. 
 
 The Wonders of the Heavens, and the Mysteries of 
 Salvation. 
 
 WHILE I now, O God of majesty, as the rising sun ushers in 
 the day, regard the heavens, which thou hast expanded over 
 me, I hear them relate the wonders of thy omnipotence. The 
 spectacle of these thy heavens fills my heart with reverence 
 and joy ; and the consideration of the order and regularity 
 with which those immense spheres move in their paths teaches 
 me to know arid adore thy wisdom. The first day which illu- 
 minated the world published thy greatness by" the stately 
 splendour of the stupendous orbs which began to rule it. And 
 each new day propagated to all the following ones the mute 
 
WITH GOD. 465 
 
 but affecting language which proclaims thy name and thy 
 dominion. The constellations, which lent their brilliancy to 
 the first night, still nightly celebrate the almighty power of 
 the supreme Artificer. 
 
 With this so intelligible speech of the heavens and the stars, 
 thou hast, O merciful God, united a still more expressive 
 eloquence. O ! what hast thou not done ? How many won- 
 ders hast thou not performed, in order to bring men back to 
 the ways of truth and happiness, which they had too soon for- 
 saken ? Thou thyself hast spoken to them. Thou hast pre- 
 scribed to them the law, the fulfilment of which thou requir- 
 est from them. How wise are the commandments of this 
 saw, how holy are they, and how much good do they diffuse 
 ever human life, and what rewards hast thou decreed for those 
 who walk in thy ordinances ! In the observance of thy law 
 I can find that felicity which I seek in the world in vain. O ! 
 how rich art thou, O God, in mercy, since thou already here on 
 the earth recompensest us so amply. With wisdom I obtain 
 all possessions and all delights; peace of conscience, humi- 
 lity, and composure under adversities, moderation in pros- 
 perity, prudent foresight in all undertakings, and thy blessing 
 in all designs ; all these I gain when I attend to thy word 
 and keep thy law. 
 
 Grant me, O Lord, a docile heart to hear thy voice, and a 
 willing spirit to submit myself to thy orders. Let me not be 
 deaf when the heavens address themselves to me ; let me not 
 be insensible when glorious nature declares to me thy excel 
 lence. Vouchsafe that I may everywhere search out the 
 traces of thy goodness and wisdom, and find my joy in con- 
 templating thy creation with admiring reverence and devotion. 
 
 NOVEMBER 12. 
 
 Consolation under the Weakness of our bodily Nature. 
 
 As often as I awake from sleep I am impressively reminded 
 of the weakness of my nature, and the frailty of my body. 
 Neither is it possible but that I should sometimes feel sorrow, 
 when I am compelled to consider this feebleness of my con- 
 
466 MORNING COMMUNINGS 
 
 stitution as the chief cause of my few and evil days. My 
 spirit dwells in a body which almost daily gives silent admo- 
 nition that it is only a fragile tenement, which may every mo- 
 ment be shaken to its foundation and reduced to ruin, or 
 which has still to fear, in one and the same moment, both its 
 shock and overthrow. As often as I take food and drink for 
 my refreshment ; as often as I feel a deficiency of vital vi- 
 gour ; as often as from weariness I desire rest ; as often as I 
 experience pain ; so often am I warned that I ought to make 
 myself ready for my departure out of this life. I feel the fore- 
 runners of my death sometimes less and sometimes more for- 
 cibly ; but always in such a degree, that a great part of my 
 life is deprived through them of its ease and satisfaction. My 
 spirit experiences every day the inconvenience and grievous- 
 ness of its dwelling, and the imperfections of its faculties ; 
 and from this source spring innumerable cares, vexations, and 
 distresses. 
 
 Ah ! what a most lamentable creature should I be, if to all 
 these disquieting feelings and ideas I could oppose nothing 
 but sighs and complaints, if no hope and no consoling pros- 
 pect soothed my heart under them, and if no indemnification 
 were afforded to me for so much calamity and affliction. I 
 should then have cause to hail every returning day with tears 
 and anxieties, and to experience as much vexation in the con- 
 tinuance of my life, as I now do in its shortness. But my 
 fate is more fortunate, since I have in my faith a mighty com- 
 forter under my consciousness of corporeal decay. This it is 
 which tranquillizes and upholds me in all the circumstance ; 
 that publish to me my approaching death, because it promises 
 to me a better home. This enables me to bear with com- 
 posure all sufferings which have their origin in my nature, 
 because it assures me of the fatherly disposition of my God 
 towards me, and of his divine aid. Through it I possess the 
 means of substituting more agreeable images for those that 
 are sorrowful. To present infelicity I can oppose an inde- 
 scribable state of bliss, to this brief existence an eternal one, 
 to temporal death a triumphal resurrection, and to this evan- 
 escent frame an immortal transfiguration. And these happy 
 changes I need not once conjecture, hope, or wish for: no, 
 I may consider them as already present : nay, more j I may 
 now beforehand taste and feel them. 
 
WITH GOD, 467 
 
 How greatly, therefore, is my life sweetened through faith. 
 Let me then cease to complain over the toilsomeness and 
 misery of human existence. Far more ought the endeavour 
 to become godly to constitute my daily care. Lord, qualify 
 me for this purpose, and so fulfil the wish of my heart, O thou 
 gracious hearer of my prayer ! 
 
 NOVEMBER 13. 
 
 The Danger of earthly Joys and Prosperity. 
 
 How natural is it, that in the stillness of this morning, I 
 should desire and petition from God a contented and happy 
 day ! And many thousands of my brethren will unite their 
 wishes with mine. But is then the tranquillity which I pray 
 for really profitable for me ? Is it indeed salutary for me, 
 that I should be quite free from troubles and pains of the 
 body, and enjoy the goods, the honour, and the pleasures of the 
 world, without any uneasiness of mind ? But how if these 
 fortunate days should banish me from the kingdom of God, 
 and entangle me even deeper in that ruin which adheres to 
 me from nature ? How if they should stifle in my soul its 
 inclination for the possessions of heaven, and the sentiment 
 of the love of God ; and fill my heart with such lusts as 
 might rob it of the jewel of eternal life ? How if these days 
 of prosperity should make my mind proud and overbearing, 
 and seduce me into avarice, voluptuousness, inhumanity, and 
 insensibility ? 
 
 Yes, so it is; the enjoyment of earthly gratifications is al- 
 ways dangerous for my heart and for my salvation. The 
 more happy I am externally, the more am I subjected to the 
 temptations of sin, and to so much the more formidable perils 
 am I exposed. I am much better inclined to provide for my 
 everlasting well-being under sufferings than under the influ- 
 ence of uninterrupted good fortune. Only one thing can 
 rescue me out of the danger of these days of worldly suc- 
 cess : only one thing can prevent me from being spoiled or 
 rendered ultimately wretched through prosperity. The fear 
 of God is the invaluable means through which both my pros- 
 

 4o8 MORNING COMMUNINGS 
 
 perous and my adverse days become beneficial to me. And 
 for this endowment I now supplicate thee, merciful and lov- 
 ing Father : for I shall then with the utmost confidence dare 
 to expect that everything will accrue to my best interests. 
 But I will likewise never forget, that I must direct my own 
 efforts industriously to my heart, and watch it with all vigi- 
 lance, if thou shouldst fulfil this entreaty. For out of the 
 unguarded and idle heart issue wicked thoughts, and I shall 
 be tempted and enticed even by my own lusts. 
 
 Thou hast implanted in my soul tendencies to piety, that it 
 might not become subservient to sin. Thou hast through 
 reason made me capable of rightly estimating the value of 
 things, and knowing my own weal. How could I act so 
 hostilely towards myself, as to leave unused the dear gift of 
 thy grace ? Discover to me in the grandeur of the world its 
 vileness, in its riches its poverty, in its wisdom its foolish- 
 ness, in its joys its misery, and in the happiness which it 
 proffers to me certain ruin. Ward off the temptations of the 
 days of pleasantness, and suffer not that I should prefer 
 earthly and human gratifications to my eternal happiness. 
 Godliness alone can, both in the days of sickness and of 
 health, in the seasons alike of loss and of gain, in the hours 
 of pleasure and of pain, and in life and in death, furnish hope 
 and consolation. Preserve me, then, in thy fear and love ; 
 so shall I be able to dispense easily with everything else ; so 
 shall I be firm and composed in the midst of afflictions, and 
 moderate and thankful in prosperity. 
 
 NOVEMBER 14. 
 
 Ignorance of the Future. 
 
 WHAT will this day be my fate ? Shall I continue healthful 
 and prosperous? shall I possess enough, or shall I endure 
 want? shall I live till its close? These and a thousand 
 similar questions men will this morning ask, and thence oc- 
 casion to themselves a disquiet both varied and abundant : 
 for nothing torments us more than uncertainty respecting the 
 future. And the objects just alluded to are those which oc- 
 
WITH GOD. 
 
 cupy the human race as well in the cottage as the palace. 
 To this contemplation the instructive fable, composed in re- 
 ference to the same subject by the ancients, is strictly appli- 
 cable: 
 
 In a deep, retired grove their dwelt a venerable sage, who 
 had roused, by his predictions, the attention of all the neigh* 
 bouring country. One day an immense concourse of people 
 flocked to him, desirous of learning their future destinies. He 
 unfolded before each the book in which all the events that 
 would occur to him, from his birth to his death, were written 
 down. The multitude advanced singly in succession to the 
 altar on which the book lay, and read by turns the history of 
 their lives. He, who believed that he had yet twenty years 
 to live, discovered now that he would die in a few days : he 
 was struck with horror, and sought to peruse no more. 
 Another, whom the possession of vast opulence had ren- 
 dered respected and happy, learned that in a short period his 
 wealth would be swept from him, and became stupified with 
 sudden grief. The distressed man, who had been the author 
 of his own wretchedness, beheld with despair, that he had yet 
 many years to pine in poverty. In proportion as he had be- 
 fore been eager to know his fortune, he became miserable 
 after having glanced into futurity. A father, whom affec- 
 tion impelled to the inquiry, was informed that all his child- 
 ren would die a terrible death, and expired before the very 
 altar. After this unfortunate parent, many other individuals 
 followed, all of whom likewise repented their curiosity, and 
 were grievously dissatisfied with the manner in which their 
 desire had been complied with. 
 
 Blessed ignorance of the future ! In thee consists a part 
 of the true tranquillity of this life. Thou renderest support- 
 able to us the toilsomeriess of our days, and qur destiny on 
 earth. It is owing to thee that, cheered by flattering hopes, 
 I undertake with indefatigable zeal the most serious enter- 
 prises. I will never seek to look behind the veil which God 
 has dropped over futurity. I shall be fully recompensed for 
 this want of knowledge. However ignorant I may be of 
 the secrets of my fate, they are disclosed to the Arbiter of 
 my life, who, ere I was yet in being, ordained the entire 
 course of my existence, and determined and regulated the 
 whole chain of events by which I am encircled. And since 
 
470 MORNING COMMUNINGS 
 
 I know this, I can keep my heart perfectly at ease, and ever 
 anticipate the best from his wisdom and goodness. 
 
 Inscrutable God ! grant such a temper to my spirit, that 
 it may constantly trust in thee, and rejoice in thy proved be- 
 nevolence. Conduct me as thou wilt through this world ; 
 lead me through uneven, dangerous, and gloomy ways, if so 
 thy wisdom has resolved ; for even in those ways, under thy 
 support, I shall obtain the salvation of my soul. Let me, so 
 long as I remain in these regions of ignorance, desire to ac- 
 quire no higher degree of information than that which thou 
 deignest to vouchsafe to me. But finally translate me into 
 that realm of wisdom and light, where I shall better under- 
 stand thy guidance, and worship thee for ever. 
 
 NOVEMBER 15. 
 
 The Misery of deferred Repentance 
 
 As often as I am roused by any melancholy event or expe- 
 rience out of my carelessness, and carried into myself, I 
 always make the sorrowful discovery, that I have not exe 
 cuted a great part of my good resolutions, and that I am still 
 addicted to my former errors. Without remembering that, 
 by every delay, I render to myself the important business of 
 my amendment more difficult, I wait for the arrival of old 
 age, and deceive myself with the hope that I shall then suc- 
 ceed better in subduing my heart. This is the seductive error 
 which ultimately plunges all faithless souls into destruction. 
 For is there even one sinner to be found, who purposes to him- 
 self to die in impenitence ? All promise to themselves their 
 conversion ; and hence it arises, that almost all die without 
 repentance. How many has death seized before they had 
 determined to return to God ! how many has it surprised in 
 the very act of this determination ! 
 
 Guard me, O merciful God, from blinding myself in the 
 darkness of so perilous a mistake, and wandering from the 
 course of my eternal welfare. Disperse the clouds by which 
 my soul is still overshadowed, and which constantly obscure 
 the rays of light which thou permittest to shine upon me. 
 
WITH GOD. 471 
 
 I perceive clearly at certain seasons the hazard which is in 
 separable from deferring repentance. I say to myself : How 
 easily might I be overtaken by death, and how unhappy 
 should I be, were it to fall upon me when unprepared ! 
 Occasionally I represent to myself the sad fate which would 
 occur to me, if I should depart from the world an unre- 
 formed sinner. I am often uneasy about my situation : nay, 
 it frequently presses tears of vexation and remorse from my 
 eyes. But the world and my own passions soon deaden and 
 mislead my heart anew, and again drown it in careless 
 levity. 
 
 O Lord, do thou open my understanding in regard to my 
 spiritual state, and teach me to be mindful of thy judgment, 
 and of the endless punishments which will overtake the souls 
 that postpone their repentance, in order that death may not 
 invade me while I am still delaying my religious improve- 
 ment. For, alas ! how much is there still for me to perform 
 ere I can dare to comfort myself with thy grace, and num- 
 ber myself among the redeemed of Jesus Christ; how loner 
 must I still fight, ere I obtain the victory ; how many days 
 of life must still pass away without my advancing more 
 nearly to my goal ! Therefore will I not delay for a single 
 moment. 
 
 NOVEMBER 16. 
 
 Supplication for the Influence of the Holy Spirit. 
 
 AWAKE, my spirit, to the blessed occupation of praising thy 
 Father and Benefactor, and proclaiming his goodness. Be- 
 hold, the morning invites thee to contemplate his wonders. 
 Praise the Lord, O my soul, who gives thee the faculty to 
 know him, and the impulse to glorify him. Though thy 
 powers are too weak worthily to extol him, yet falter out his 
 celebration, and let the angels instruct thee in thy thanks- 
 giving. 
 
 O Lord of my life, how should I be otherwise than ready 
 to exalt thy name, since thou daily replenishest me with thy 
 blessings, daily presentest me with new proofs of thy love, 
 and allowest me perpetually to behold fresh miracles of thy 
 
472 MORNING COMMTJN1NGS 
 
 omnipotence! Be praised that thou hast again enlivened 
 my faculties, which lay dormant in deep slumber ; that my 
 body is fitted to minister to its soul, and my soul to command 
 it ; that I am able again joyfully and actively to perform 
 that which, through thy support, is so pleasing a duty to 
 me : all this is thy goodness. O ! that I might use my exist- 
 ence, my life, and my faculties, solely according to thy plea- 
 sure, and to the promoting of thy views ! O ! that this day, 
 which thou hast added to my years, might yet shine in the 
 book of life ! O ! that every hour which hastens me towards 
 eternity were sacred and dear to me ! Yet how small is the 
 number of hours which I live ! how many flee away un- 
 availingly, without being sanctified by a single laudable deed, 
 or noble resolution, or by thy praise! Would that their 
 rapid flight might remind me that moments are counted out 
 to me here only to qualify me for eternity. Yes ; let this 
 great idea wholly and entirely possess me ! Let it direct my 
 employments, impress my conduct with wisdom, and hallow 
 ray joys. Let it inflame my desire of rendering mysell 
 better ; let it invigorate my brotherly affection, let it subdue 
 my passions, let it deliver my soul from all that obstructs it 
 in striving after godliness, and in at length becoming wise 
 for salvation ! 
 
 My Father and my God, thou seest in what a labyrinth I 
 wander, and how incapable I am, without thy assistance, of 
 arriving at the termination which thou hast marked out for 
 me. Forsake me not, but lead me through a smooth path. 
 O thou Son of the Father, my Redeemer, my teacher, my 
 guide, send me thy Spirit, the Spirit of truth, that it may 
 direct me when I stray, chastise me when I turn aside, en- 
 courage me when I am weary. When the folly of my fellow- 
 men would seduce me, then do thou admonish me, thou 
 Spirit of peace, and restrain my desires. If I am injured, 
 then show to me the image of that love which bleeds for its 
 foes, and let me be penetrated with that generous forgiveness. 
 When my proud heart would exalt itself, remind me of the 
 dust yea, of the nought out of which I was drawn, and let 
 me feel that, of all those whom thou favourest, I myself am 
 the most vile and unworthy. When sensual pleasure allures 
 me, then convince me how dangerous, how contemptible are 
 all the delights which cannot be enjoyed with a pure heart. 
 
WITH GOD. 47'3 
 
 And thus grant, thou Giver of all good, that, dazzled by no 
 sinful lust, I may be wise amidst the perverse generations of 
 men, may perform thy will, and consider myself as immor- 
 tal. Shielded by thy goodness, guarded by thy angels, ex- 
 pected by thy heaven, what shall I wish? what shall I fear? 
 Confident and calm, I await whatever thou hast decreed. 
 Soon will my journey through the world run to its end. 
 Soon shall I commence another era, in which neither hours 
 nor days will be numbered, and when no changes of the year 
 will occur. Soon shall I be with thee, sublime, ineffable 
 Being, and through all the periods of eternity behold thee as 
 thou art. 
 
 NOVEMBER 17. 
 
 Mortality. 
 
 PRAISE be to thee, O Lord, that through thy grace I re- 
 ceive, on every new day, a lively remembrance of my mor- 
 tality; for we ought to be always mindful that our permanent 
 residence is not established here, in order that we may seek 
 heaven with true ardour. That I am not senseless and in- 
 sensible, that I reflect this morning on my real destination 
 this is thy work, faithful, merciful Father. O ! how soon 
 do earthly cares and perplexities drive these salutary thoughts 
 out of my heart ! And if thou thyself, through thy Spirit, 
 didst not operate on my mind, then should I, like so many of 
 my fellow-mortals, go on without thinking either of myself 
 or my final destiny. But how terrible would then hereafter 
 be my departure from the world, how frightful thy command: 
 " Set thy house in order, for thou must die ! " I will not, 
 therefore, shun the recollection of my death, but rather renew 
 it often in my soul, that it may warn me from dissipation of 
 time, and from a foolish attachment to worldly advantages 
 and enjoyments, and that it may enliven my zeal and godli- 
 ness, confirm my hope, and endue me with the wisdom to 
 walk at all times before thee. 
 
 Am I inclined to grow languid in my duties, then teach 
 me, O God, to compute the small number of my days. How 
 can I delay one single good action, when it is so highly un- 
 
474 MORNING COMMUNINGS 
 
 certain whether, in future, I shall be able to perform it ? 
 When the lust of the world and its love would inveigle me, 
 O ! then recall to my memory the insufferable torments, and 
 pangs of conscience, which my fondness for the vain things 
 of life will inflict upon me in my dying hour. Should my 
 heart thirst after the honour of men, then prompt me to re- 
 flect how little consolation titles and distinctions will bring 
 me in the season which assimilates the king to the beggar. 
 Should pride inflate my heart, then exhibit to me the wretched 
 appearance which my body will assume in corruption. The 
 consideration of death must rein in and temperate that covet- 
 ousness of worldly advantages which so easily masters my 
 reason, and impart to me that firmness with which I ought 
 to sacrifice everything earthly when it threatens to bring my 
 soul's safety into danger. In all the joys and the sweets of 
 existence, let me be impressed with a sense of that felicity in 
 which I am to participate on high before thy throne. Under 
 the necessities of my present life, fortify me in the medita- 
 tion of death, that in the expectation of a better life I may pa- 
 tiently sustain them, and hold out courageously in the strife. 
 In this manner may death become to me an edifying school 
 for my heart, and may it deeply imprint upon me the know- 
 ledge that I am created for heaven and not for the world ! 
 Yes, Lord, I am a denizen of heaven, and only there can I 
 find the repose and the perfect happiness which men so vainly 
 seek on earth. Here, in the world, I only see through the 
 mists of my mortal nature. I behold thee, O thou eternal 
 Fountain of light, but not so fully that thy love fills my whole 
 heart, and eradicates all the affections which still share it. 
 Yonder, thy love will rule alone in my bosom, and absorb all 
 other inclinations : yonder, this love will be perpetually re- 
 animated and increased through thy adorable presence. 
 
 NOVEMBER 18. 
 
 The Prospect of Eternal Felicity. 
 
 WHAT can possibly be more cheering to my heart, and 
 what ought, therefore, more to occupy my devotion, than the 
 
WITH GOD. 475 
 
 love of my Jesus, through which I dare to expect eternal 
 salvation ? Never can I represent to myself sufficiently often, 
 that felicity, without end, which God's grace in the gospel 
 allows me'to hope. What indeed can be more important than 
 the persuasion that a soul inhabits within me, which is not 
 only immortal, but which shall, after this life, be in perpetual 
 communion with God, and become a participator of his divine 
 bliss ? What could more strongly excite my heart to sanctity 
 than the reflection of the greatness and value of my desti- 
 nation, and the comparison between that which is here called 
 happiness, and the felicity which my faith inspires me to an- 
 ticipate ? What can better satisfy all my wishes, and more 
 accord with every nobler impulse within me, than that I should 
 yield myself entirely to the desire of such an exalted and ra- 
 vishing state, and give full scope to the godly resolution to 
 aspire, with all my zeal, to the attainment of this ecstasy ? 
 
 Yes, my Saviour, I perceive and feel how great the dignity 
 is to which thou hast elevated me, by having struggled and 
 suffered, even for me ; I perceive and feel what blessedness it 
 is to belong to thy redeemed, and to enjoy thy holy love. 
 Would only that my conscience bore witness that I am worthy 
 of this blessing. But how little am I so ! This, on each ex- 
 amination of myself, I am forced with shame and regret to 
 confess. Neither in thy fidelity to thy celestial calling, nor in 
 thy charity and goodness, nor in thy sacred ardour for truth, 
 do I resemble thee, my Saviour and Redeemer ; and how far 
 am I removed from the magnanimous temper with which 
 thou didst endure the unthankfulness and the blindness of thy 
 brethren ! how far is my heart from the cheerfulness with 
 which thou, for the sake of truth, didst support mockery and 
 scorn, and from the zeal with which thou didst show compas- 
 sion to the calumniated and the oppressed ! But I vow to 
 thee to-day, with a sincere heart, that I will hereafter follow 
 thy footsteps with more earnestness. It shall be my task, for 
 the future, to draw the bond of love ever firmer and closer 
 towards thee, through whose love I am myself to be made 
 happy, and to resign myself, with ever-increasing willingness, 
 to the spirit that conducts to God, that I may thus constantly 
 approach more nearly to the felicity which thy saving tender- 
 ness, my Mediator, and the grace of the heavenly Father 
 permit me to hope. 
 
476 MORNING COMMUNINQS 
 
 Spirit of truth, do thou, likewise, throughout the present 
 day, incline my heart to this, for me so important object 
 Loosen my soul more and more fully from those fetters of sen- 
 suality by which it is tied down : and grant to me thy grace, 
 that I majr ever penetrate more deeply into the knowledge of 
 my salvation. Let me esteem nothing so highly as the^care 
 of becoming reconciled to God, and assured of a glorious re- 
 surrection. As in this early hour I elevate my heart to the 
 Lord, so, likewise, during the remaining hours of the day, 
 shall the thought of him engage my soul : I will love him 
 and fear him beyond everything, and put my whole trust in 
 him while I live. 
 
 NOVEMBER 19. 
 
 The Connexion of the present Life with that which is 
 everlasting. 
 
 THAT I each day approach nearer to my grand boundary, the 
 life of retribution, is a thought which ought frequently and 
 seriously to engage my mind. Never ought I to forget that 
 the employment of my present time determines my everlasting 
 fate, and that eternity will confer upon me the blessed reward 
 of every truly good* work. O ! that it might be my happi- 
 ness to meet this retributive eternity with a pious and humble 
 heart, consecrated to God ! But terrestrial things still sway 
 me too completely ; my heart does not yet direct its efforts 
 and inclinations with sufficient zeal to the things above, and 
 I am still greatly deficient in that sacred ardour through 
 which alone my soul can elevate itself to heaven. And yet 
 how often have I already, with bitter grief, experienced the 
 vanity of earthly objects ; how often repented, that to the 
 perishable enjoyment of worldly advantages, I have sacrifice " 
 my serenity and the peace of my conscience ; and how fre 
 quently have I been taught that true happiness is to be found 
 only in the consciousness of innocence and purity ! There- 
 fore I ought to cease so vehemently to lament over the pri- 
 vation and loss of mundane possessions, and to bear the 
 sufferings of my temporal condition with firmer courage, 
 since they assuredly conduce to aiy salvation. They are in 
 
WITH GOD. 477 
 
 deed sent with no other view than to prepare me for eternity 
 My soul praises thee, O God, that thou hast granted me such 
 a prospect into futuritythat a sublime hope comforts me, and 
 that no feeling of the distresses of this passing time affrights 
 me. Let but the other great duties which I have to observe 
 for the future be likewise duly commended to my attention. 
 Teach me to despise the goods of this world, since I have 
 greater treasures to expect from thee. Make me apt and wil- 
 ling to renounce my personal interest, my repose, my conve- 
 nience, my propensity to pleasure, and even my pride itself, 
 when in thy service I am required to display magnanimity, 
 philanthropy, and the other high and noble sentiments of the 
 Christian faith. My brother needs my support; therefore 
 must I assist him, and deem myself fortunate that I can do so. 
 My enemy has injured me, he has formed designs of mischief 
 against me ; O ! then let me forgive him from my heart, and 
 convince him, through new benefits, that a professor of Christ 
 is so generous as to reward evil with good. In everything 
 let me evince my Christianity. Under afflictions as well as 
 amidst pleasures, in the world not less than in solitude, in 
 death equally as in life, let me show that I am a follower of 
 Jesus, and a child of my Father in heaven. Let me prove, 
 by my own example, into what elevated and happy charac- 
 ters the religion of the Saviour moulds its votaries. 
 
 NOVEMBER 20. 
 
 The Duty of loving God. 
 
 THIS day, all-beneficent Father, which thou addest to my for- 
 mer life, is another repeated proof that thou still lovest me, and 
 vouchsafest to me thy gracious remembrance. When I re- 
 vert with my thoughts to the past, O ! what wonders of thy 
 love, of thy faithfulness, and thy paternal benevolence, do I 
 there behold ! Thy care for me even preceded my being ; 
 and from the first commencement of my life down to tho 
 present instant, my welfare has been thy constant charge. 
 Innumerable are the blessings I receive from thee ; beyond 
 calculation is the greatness of thy love. How feelingly is 
 
478 MORNING COMMUNTNGS 
 
 my heart touched by the recollection of the past, how power- 
 fully does it excite me to hope, to love, and to suffer ! Thou 
 who hast already done so much for me, couldst thou now de 
 sert me? Why should I, who have been already so long 
 provided with all good, be to-day anxiously careful for the 
 morrow? Thou hast carried me safely through many a 
 storm of adversity, and shall I not now confide in thy help ? 
 Thou hast already so often convinced me that my whole des- 
 tiny depends upon thee, and, by thy hand, and through thy 
 infinite wisdom and goodness, is turned to my best interest ; 
 and shall I be discontented with that which thou appointest 
 to me ? shall I murmur against thee ? I have so often seen 
 that wickedness, lying, and falsehood come to disgrace, and 
 that virtue and rectitude alone stand invincible; and shall I 
 not always abhor vice and revere integrity ? Thou hast al- 
 ways loved me so parentally; and shall I not love thee 
 again ? Thou hast granted to me my life, and all that re- 
 joices my life in such indulgent abundance ; and shall I riot 
 be ready to offer up everything to thee? Thou hast dis- 
 played so much tenderness for me ; and shall I be hard t - 
 wards my brethren ? Thou hast forgiven to me the multi- 
 tude of my sins ; and shall I not cordially pardon my ad- 
 versary ? 
 
 O gracious and merciful God, since thou loadest me with 
 such numerous blessings, and I cannot boast that I deserve 
 them, neither in any way remunerate thee for them, how 
 could T be ungrateful towards thee ? No ; to praise and to 
 ponder on thy goodness, be this my most sacred and raptur- 
 ous task. And if my heart is devoted to thee in thankful- 
 ness, how easy will it then be for me to fulfil every other 
 even the most difficult duty ! But not until I am removed 
 to a more perfect state shall I understand how duly to cele- 
 brate thy praise. 
 
 NOVEMBER 21. 
 
 Man's vain Desires. 
 
 O ! THAT this morning were for me the beginning of a pious, 
 happy, and blessed life. Then I should not only be neces- 
 
WITH GOD. 479 
 
 sarily delivered from all need, but likewise possess all that 
 my heart desires. Nothing capable of rejoicing and sooth- 
 ing my spirit would be wanting to me. Full of contentment 
 of mind, I should then overflow with thanks to the benevo- 
 lent Being who granted me all this good ; and, zealous for 
 his honour, I should devote myself to the service of virtue, 
 whose follower I should constantly remain. Far from being 
 rendered, by prosperity, forgetful of my Benefactor, I should 
 rather then for the first time exhibit a restless ardour in right- 
 eousness. Wherefore are so many treasures lavished on the 
 vicious ? O ! had I but a part of the fortune which they 
 squander, what a laudable use would I make of it ! 
 
 Yet how foolish are all these wishes, how seductive and 
 dangerous are they for my heart ! Should I not, then, be 
 dazzled by the glitter of that transient prosperity which per- 
 verts so many, and leads them blindfold into perdition? Who 
 can assure me that my weak heart, which knows not yet the 
 temptations and perils of riches, would remain firm and un- 
 seduced when a thousand enticements and new opportunities 
 of sin would present themselves to me; that I should be 
 strong enough to resist the torrent of allurement ? O ! how 
 probable is it that I should then be forced to wish that my 
 desire after wealth and prosperity had not been accomplished ! 
 
 Yes, thou benignant and wise Ruler of mankind, thou 
 showest me many and great favours which I do not thank- 
 fully enough acknowledge, and which I can never repay to 
 thee ; but this is most certainly one of thy highest benefac- 
 tions, that thou fulfillest not all the wishes of my foolish 
 heart. For this I cannot sufficiently praise thee, if I prefer 
 my true welfare to the false glare and outward appearance of 
 the ungodly. But yet I often forget myself so far that I 
 murmur against thee, when, out of affection towards me, and 
 according to thy unerring wisdom, thou deniest me that which 
 I entreat from thee. O ! make these thy truths rightly im- 
 pressive on my heart, that I may never be tempted to desire 
 any other lot than that which thou hast decreed to me. Per- 
 suade me more and more firmly that there is no calamity so 
 great that I may not style it salutary, since it preserves me 
 from trials of seduction, and renders me humble, patient, and 
 satisfied. With this conviction I shall each morning be able 
 to meet the new day with a smiling countenance : my heart 
 
480 MORNING COMMUNINGS 
 
 will always be replete with grateful love for my Creator and 
 defender ; and I shall have cause, even in the utmost neces- 
 sity and want, to consider myself richer and happier than if 
 thou hadst placed at my authority all the opulence of the 
 world. 
 
 NOVEMBER 22. 
 
 Reflections suggested by shortening Days. 
 
 LATELY the ruddy glow of early morn awoke me from my 
 sweet slumbers, and my spirit then soared, in grateful matinal 
 strains, up to its God ; but now winter spreads around me 
 melancholy darkness, and, by its long night, robs me of the 
 few hours of the day. Scarcely does the sun surmount the 
 horizon ere he already declines towards his setting. It is, 
 perhaps, that he mourns for dormant nature; and would shut 
 up the dreary fields from my eyes ; or, is it that, like nature, 
 my life shall now sink into the night of the grave ? O God ! 
 Lord of day and night, how often in the brightness of my 
 joys have nights of terror enveloped my soul at midday, 
 when I abandoned the path of virtue ; or, in the darkness of 
 my spirit, saw not thee, thou Fountain of Light ; or when 
 through discontent, through anxious cares, and through a 
 premature unreasonable dissatisfaction with thy guidance, I 
 turned to my destruction the day which thou hadst granted 
 to me for a day of blessing ! 
 
 Teach me, thou Spirit of wisdom, the holy art of behold- 
 ing thee in the deepest obscurities of my life. When all 
 around me is night, in the hour of horror, when my under- 
 standing can discover no issue, be faith in thee my light and 
 my comfort. Thou art the Everlasting Light, and where 
 thou dwellest are light and brightness : but without thee, the 
 purest serenity of day becomes in my soul a thick gloom : 
 even the highest felicity of the earth is ruin for me if thy light 
 does not illuminate me. 
 
 O ! then do thou now diffuse around me the light of thy 
 countenance when the wintry nights abridge the fleet hours 
 of the short day. When darkness encompasses me, then 
 
WITH GOD. 481 
 
 teach me to remember that thou art not far from us, and that 
 in thee we live, move, and have our being. Then let me 
 wholly devote to thee the hours which the briefness of the 
 day subtracts from my labour for the welfare of my breth- 
 ren ! Here let me reckon over the hours, or rather the years, 
 in which my life has been to me a dream. These years are 
 flown eternity cannot restore them. Yet thou hadst lent me 
 each moment of them at usury. O ! then let me now so 
 much the more eagerly seek thee, and find, in the remem- 
 brance of thee, consolation and hope, in proportion as the 
 work of the day is interrupted by the night, and the soul 
 sinks into sombre reflections. When gloom saddens all 
 amusements, let my soul be collected for serious meditations 
 which have thee for their object ; then be my evening sacri- 
 fice consecrated to thee; then let sleep rock my wearied limbs 
 into gentle repose ; arid* thou, my God, who neither slumber- 
 est nor sleepest, wilt also bless me in my rest. 
 
 Amid what blissful transports will my days glide along, it 
 I retain thee, O Lord, constantly before my eyes, and in my 
 heart ! Then all nature will no longer appear to me terrible; 
 but thy fatherly truth will, under all circumstances, be visible 
 to me. Then will the distresses of this life quickly disappear; 
 arid I shall enjoy real lasting delights that will follow me out 
 of the world into eternity ! O ! what a blessed state will it 
 be for me when I attain to the fulness of that better life 
 which knows neither vicissitudes nor change ! Lord, let me 
 attain to it, through Jesus Christ. 
 
 NOVEMBER 23. 
 
 The Christian's Joy fulness. 
 
 NOTHIMG can be more efficacious in rejoicing my spirit at 
 the break of day, than the thought that I am a Christian, a 
 denizen and inheritor of heaven. Embrace, O my soul, the 
 entire extent of this thought, arid consider it in all its magni- 
 tude. Form a just sense of the value of the honour that 
 tience accrues to thee, and of the importance of the hope 
 which such a prerogative imparts to thee. My spirit must 
 
482 MORNING COMMUNINGS 
 
 be wholly filled with gratitude towards, and penetrated with 
 love for a Being so abounding in goodness, kindness, and 
 truth, as he is who has vouchsafed to me this privilege. 
 Should I be deprived of this thought, what would become of 
 me ! I should be a poor, ruined, cast down creature, without 
 peace and without hope, a reproach to myself, and incapable 
 of finding anything through which to obtain tranquillity. I 
 should be loaded with calamity and sorrow, and never dare 
 to promise myself permanent felicity. Poignantly should I 
 feel my imperfections, without any hope of becoming more 
 perfect. 
 
 Remove thyself, therefore, from me, thou fool, who takest 
 pains not to know thy Creator ; and who, though thou might- 
 est be happy, through the blessings of religion, forcest thy- 
 self, of thy own accord, to be wretched and infelicitous. 
 Thou art not only so unwise as to rob thyself of the greatest 
 good in the world, but thou possessest also the wickedness to 
 seek to tear from others, who have a better hope, this belief, the 
 comfort of which constitutes their sole joy, in order to render 
 them as miserable as, in thy ill-fated blindness, thou hast 
 really made thyself. Or fanciest thou that thou art master 
 of more knowledge and discernment than the majority of 
 mankind ? Or dost thou see that thou art liable to err in thy 
 conclusions and judgments ! that thou art also but a mortal, 
 and allowest thyself, perhaps; to be misled into folly, merely 
 through thy pride ? Thus we are both exposed to the danger 
 of running into wrong. But leave me only in my happy 
 error. What harm will it do me in the end, though I 
 should have been deceived ? Has not the idea of a happi- 
 ness to be expected after death shed joy and transport over 
 my whole life ? Was it not this hope which alleviated all my 
 sorrow, which filled my heart with noble emotions, and ex- 
 alted me to high-minded sentiments? Of all this thou must 
 suffer the privation, and at length learn how bitterly thou 
 hast cheated thyself. Wilt thou be able to support the tor- 
 turing reproaches of thy conscience? Wouldst thou not, 
 therefore, act more rationally rather to relinquish thy claim 
 to the imaginary fame of a strong mind, than abandon the 
 hope which must produce for thee happiness, whether it be 
 well-foanded or not ? 
 
 I, however, O Father, cannot sufficiently thank thee, that 
 
WITH GOD. 483 
 
 thou hast preserved me from so lamentable a state of com- 
 fortlessness, and hast granted to me an expectation which 
 must be infinitely more precious to me than life, and all the 
 treasures of this earth. Be praise and honour eternally as- 
 cribed to thee for this mercy. 
 
 NOVEMBER 24. 
 
 God's Care to promote our Salvation. 
 
 WHEN I review the whole course of my life, and inquire how 
 I have resisted so many dangers which threatened my soul, 
 escaped from so many severe trials and temptations, and be- 
 come firmer in the love of virtue, I am constrained with 
 thankful emotion to confess that it has been through thy 
 grace alone, my God and Father, that I am what I am. 
 Thou producest in me both the desire to will and the ability 
 to perform that which is good : thou hast been strong in my 
 weakness. 
 
 Thy Divine wisdom permitted every event to continue to 
 pave for me the way to salvation. But perhaps I only half 
 perceive these inestimable blessings of God, being as yet un- 
 able to read the history of his providence towards me. But 
 were the Lord to open my eyes I should plainly discover 
 that all the events of my existence tended to the real happi- 
 ness of my soul. I should perceive that the calamities which 
 he appoints to me are nothing else but arrangements which 
 the Lord makes to draw me to himself. I should find that 
 many circumstances which I consider accidental, are fixed 
 means which the Divine goodness employs to render the way 
 to amendment easier for me. I should see that my birth, my 
 prosperity, my wealth, and the faculties of my soul, have all 
 conjointly reference to those views which God designs to ful- 
 fil in me. I should learn that all the moments of my sinful 
 life, were moments of mercy. Sometimes God removed an 
 obstacle to my salvation by a temporal disquietude or loss, 
 which he ordained to me, and by which he brought me to 
 humility. Sometimes he granted to me, through the good 
 example of others, occasion to prosecute serious reflections. 
 
484 MORNING COMMUNING8 
 
 Sometimes he awoke my conscience by the sudden end of the 
 sinner. To sum up all, God has done everything in regard to 
 me, and continues to do so, in order to attract me from the 
 world to his own blessed communion. 
 
 But has the mercy of God accomplished its aim in me ? 
 Have I every day advanced nearer to him ? Ah ! God, how 
 can I conceal it from thee? thou knowest my folly and 
 obstinacy. Thou knowest the opposition which I have 
 made to thy paternal fidelity. Each day has been hitherto 
 an incitement to reformation and industry in good works; 
 but how seldom have I given ear to this exhortation ! how 
 seldom profited by the time allotted for my improvement ! 
 How gladly, were it possible, would I recall these lost days 
 and hours ! how gladly purchase them, could I but do so, 
 with tears of contrition ! O ! therefore I supplicate thee, my 
 God, graciously prolong the term of my earthly tenure : urge 
 me not to a reckoning on account of so many abused bless- 
 ings. But let me be more obedient and willing than I have 
 hitherto been, and no longer, through headstrong obduracy 
 and want of feeling, disappoint thy views. Lead me this day 
 in the even path, and guard me that I may not again stray 
 from it, but find through it the eternal life to which thy love 
 in Christ Jesus has destined me. 
 
 NOVEMBER 25. 
 
 Proper Estimate of the World. 
 
 I HAVE already been so many years in the world, and yet I have 
 never earnestly applied myself to study it in its proper light. 
 What, then, is this world, of which I begin anew with the 
 present day to be an inhabitant? It is a land of darkness. 
 Truth ever finds in it either scorners or persecutors. Almost 
 all men wander, without knowing it, in thick clouds of obscu- 
 rity, while they consider their errors and their prejudices to 
 be truth. This world is a way full of dangers and obstacles. 
 Everything is mere danger danger in birth, danger in bring- 
 ing up, danger in professional vocations, danger in intercourse 
 with ethers, and in all the connexions with society in which 
 
WITH GOD. 485 
 
 we can be placed. Do I escape one danger, I am instantly 
 exposed to a second. This world is a place of the most tor- 
 menting disquietude. Every one finds in his own station, 
 however fortunate his lot may be, various descriptions of 
 crosses and adversities. Grandeur has its cares and its mor- 
 tifications; humbler conditions have their humiliations and 
 contempt. All ages, all ranks, all employments of life, how- 
 ever different they may otherwise be, are all alike in fulness 
 of trouble. Even youth is not free from woes and calamities ; 
 even piety has its sufferings ; even the most tender connexions 
 feel the uneasiness and the vanity of human existence. 
 
 What a lamentable creature should I be, were I compelled 
 to enter into this world of errors, dangers, and disappoint- 
 ments, without thy support, O my God ; or were called upon 
 to resist all these perils and grievances, merely through my 
 own strength ! O ! how happy am I, that thou thyself 
 guidest me in the world, and that, led by thy hand, I am 
 able to pursue my course in comfort and security. Thou 
 clearest the darkness which surrounds my path ; thou dis- 
 pellest, by thy wisdom, the errors with which my heart has 
 to contend; thou givest me abundance of better wealth, when 
 I am poor in temporal necessaries ; thou refreshest me through 
 thy Divine consolations, when I am obliged to bear the pri- 
 vation of earthly joys and advantages. I can promise myself 
 contentment in thy friendship, though I meet with few sincere 
 friends in the world. I need not be afraid of sinking under 
 the dangers of this life ; if I only confide in thee, no danger 
 will be able to shake me, no trouble to render me completely 
 unhappy. Through thy grace, O God, I shall be rendered 
 tranquil under every disquietude. 
 
 Now, therefore, I resign myself on this day likewise to thy 
 heavenly guidance, Father and Lord of my life. Far be it 
 from me that I should enter into the world, abandoned to 
 myself? How easily might it happen that I should become 
 more perverse and more unhappy than I actually am. No ; 
 my short existence has already sufficiently convinced me of 
 the levity of my heart, and the corruption of my understand- 
 ing. I will relinquish myself entirely to thy charge. And I 
 suppliantly and humbly entreat thee not to withdraw from me 
 thy aid and thy Spirit. Preserve me from the seductions of 
 the earth, through which I may be rendered miserable, and 
 
486 MORNING COMMUNINGS 
 
 let me not lose the noblest donation which thou hast conferred 
 upon me my immortal soul, but maintain it whole and un- 
 polluted amid all the temptations of the world. 
 
 NOVEMBER 26. 
 
 The Shortness of the Period allotted for our Preparation for 
 Eternity. 
 
 THE time which is appointed to me for preparation for eter- 
 nity is short, and I cannot make haste enough to use it. If 
 I had a long series of centuries to live, lost days and hours 
 would constitute nothing more than an imperceptible point, 
 and this small detriment might be repaired through the length 
 of my duration. But my years and days are confined within 
 such narrow limits, that I should act most foolishly were I to 
 reckon upon a long futurity. If I subtract from all the days of 
 my lifetime, that portion which I must employ in the care of 
 my body and my temporal welfare, what will remain behind 
 for God and for eternity ? And yet I am puzzled what to do 
 with this little residue which is left to me. Yes, I have re- 
 course to a thousand expedients to accelerate time, which is of 
 itself so rapid that I am not sensible of its stay, but only of 
 its flight. O ! how deserving am I of pity ! For ought I 
 not to reflect that ten lives such as mine are not sufficient to 
 compensate for the follies which I have committed ? How 
 can I, in so brief an existence, still find leisure for amuse- 
 ments and frivolous objects ? Would a criminal condemned 
 to death, who had only one day's respite to sue for pardon, 
 seek to squander and destroy his hours and minutes ? O ! 
 how mad am I ! The sentence is already passed upon me : 
 I have only a single day's time. And this single day is a 
 burden to me, and I spend it in an inconsiderate manner amid 
 vain, idle, arid childish occupations, and I strive to abridge it ! 
 I see the evening closing in, ere I have employed the day 
 which God has vouchsafed to me, otherwise than that I have 
 become more culpable than before. How can I say that I 
 had many hours during the day ? Time is naturally so short, 
 and my obligations are so innumerable and so important, that 
 
WITH GOD. 487 
 
 how can I, and how dare I, then, longer loiter it away ; or 
 how dare I still devise new diversions to abridge it yet more 
 by artificial means ? 
 
 Great God, thou who alone distributest time and grantest 
 to us each moment, with what eyes dost thou behold me thus 
 dissipate that which is so brief and yet so inestimable ! 
 Thou knowest that the largest and fairest part of my life 
 is already gone and consumed. Ought then nothing serious 
 to be discoverable in the whole course of my existence, ex- 
 cept the final moment which shall finish it ? Ah ! God, de- 
 fend me from this unutterable, immense misfortune : do thou 
 sanctify the few moments which I have still to spend in this 
 world, and grant me grace, that I may use them to my sal- 
 vation. This day brings me nearer to the grave. And, ah ! 
 what should I do if I knew for certain that only one step in- 
 tervened betwixt me and my everlasting fate? How if I 
 should now be carried off what would be my lot ? Eternal 
 God, have compassion upon me, and endue me with wisdom 
 to number my few days, wisely to order my scanty time, and 
 to place every moment out at interest, since each may influence 
 or decide my immortal destiny. 
 
 NOVEMBER 27. 
 
 Winter as well as Summer proclaims the gracious 
 Presence of the Deity . 
 
 IN the agreeable seasons of the year, it is true, the goodness 
 and love of the All-highest are most visible. In the spring, 
 most admirable and gratifying beauties present themselves to 
 the eye : the air is a soft balsam, trees and flowers blossom, 
 and wherever we turn our delighted gaze the fields and groves 
 display themselves clad in recent verdure. In the fervent 
 heat of the summer, God spreads out a canopy of leaves, and 
 thickens the cool shades. In autumn his munificence covers 
 the plain with plenty, and loads the trees with the most deli- 
 cious fruits. But is it only in these agreeable periods that 
 the friendliness of the Creator is felt and perceived ? Bears 
 not also winter signs of his gracious presence ? Proclaims 
 
488 MORNING COMMUNINGS 
 
 not winter likewise his glory ? From what source roll the 
 hailstones ? Out of whose lap gushes the sea ? Whence 
 proceed the gelid flakes of snow ? Who tameth the stormy 
 host of the winds ? Who is he who, when it freezes, engen- 
 dereth the hoar-frost, and produceth the snows ? Who is the 
 father of the rain? Only thou alone, infinite Deity ! 
 
 Yes, thy omnipotence and goodness, O God, are also evi- 
 dent in this rough and boisterous season. And in winter, 
 too, is man the object of thy beneficent tenderness. The riches 
 with which thou endowest him during harvest, nourish, re- 
 create, and rejoice him in winter. All nature the birds, the 
 worms, the animals, both wild and domestic, are subservient 
 to my covering and clothing. Everything convinces me of 
 the unalterable love with which thou art attached to the hu- 
 man race. Everything publishes to me thy powerful bene- 
 volence, through which thou changest even the most disa- 
 greeable things into blessings. 
 
 O Lord, would that I might be observant of thy wonder- 
 ful governance ! If it be my purpose to seek thee, I shall 
 find thee even in this harsh season of the year. If I am 
 determined to glorify thee, even desolate nature in her icy 
 dwelling will supply me with abundant themes. If I seek 
 incitements to love thee, even winter, amid its surly blasts, 
 will point out to me proofs of thy fatherly kindness : all the 
 elements will announce to me thy greatness. And if the 
 dumb creation could speak, it would exhort me to celebrate thy 
 goodness and might, which are everywhere extended abroad. 
 Make me, therefore, a witness and herald of thy compassion. 
 Render precious to me this season, which is spent by so many 
 of my fellow-brethren in useless engagements, in slumber 
 and insensibility. Let me no longer shorten the already short 
 space of my days in sinful and dissipated pleasures, but for- 
 tify and animate my zeal in the performance of good works. 
 This season, which exhibits to me vegetation sunk in deadly 
 sleep, shall preach to me my own mortality, and prompt me 
 to look forward to the eternal spring, in which my ashes 
 will one day bud out of the earth. 
 
WITH GOD. 489 
 
 NOVEMBER 28. 
 Praise of the Divine Benevolence. 
 
 THOU Benefactor of all creatures, be praised for the rich 
 blessings which thou scatterest around us. 1 adore thee, 
 beneficent Being, that I also am one of those happy crea- 
 tures whom thou every new day favourest with new gifts. I 
 praise thee for all the blessings which, from the earliest in- 
 stant of my existence even to the present hour, I have received 
 from thee, and the number of which is so immense, and the 
 value so incalculable. I thank thee also for the blessings 
 which appeared evils to my misconceiving and mistaken heart. 
 
 I praise thee that thou hast strewed with thorns the way 
 which leads to life. The children of the world walk in rosy 
 paths which lead them to endless misery ; but thou leadest 
 thy children over briers, which wound only the outward man, 
 while they conduct the spirit to the possession of the most 
 unalloyed joys. 
 
 I praise thee for all the sufferings through which thou 
 afflictest my corrupted nature, and evermore purifiest my 
 immortal spirit, that it may become fit for thy blessed aspect. 
 O ! how far should I depart from my eternal felicity, didst 
 thou permit me to rush franticly on in the riot of my lusts, 
 and to forget that heaven to which, through the redemption 
 of Jesus, thou hast exalted me. 
 
 I praise thee that thou so often frustratest my designs, and 
 deceivest my expectations : that thou deniest to me my peti- 
 tions, and causest me to feel how weak my power is, and 
 how foolish my wisdom. I will follow thy signal, full of 
 reverence and obedience. I will not murmur when thy dis- 
 pensations are contrary to that which my heart wishes, since 
 thou alone judgest with unerring certainty what will conduce 
 to my peace. Even in darkness I will follow thee, nor ex- 
 pect the brightening dispersion of the various obscurities of 
 my earthly lot, ere the season when thou shalt have brought 
 me into the clime of perfection. 
 
 I praise thee for the sicknesses of the body, which are so 
 healthful to my soul. They wean me from sensual things, 
 and render me dull to their charms. They show the world 
 
490 MORNING COMMUNINGS 
 
 in that heavenly light which shines beyond the grave. They 
 make me stricter towards myself, more indulgent towards 
 others, and more humble before thee. 
 
 I praise thee for the new day which thou hast added to 
 my pilgrimage. Thou art not yet tired of thy pity towards 
 me: but thy long suffering still tolerates me, and thy patience 
 attends my amendment. Benignant Parent! how can I with 
 sufficient ardour praise thee for this morning? O ! that 
 through thy grace this further increase of my life might 
 prove my blessing, and not my curse ! This day, at least, 
 must not be found in the circle of those which I shall have 
 reason to lament, or even to execrate in my death hour. 
 Rather must it shed over my whole future existence, over 
 my death, and over my eternal state, the happiest and most 
 beneficial influence, 
 
 NOVEMBER 29. 
 
 Love towards God and Jesus. 
 
 IF I love God and Jesus, I shall never fail in comfort, nor 
 want an impulse and incitement to good deeds. Whether I 
 think of the past, regard the present, or direct my eyes to 
 the future, in all cases I shall be confirmed in the resolution 
 to remain unalterably true to the Redeemer, whose doctrine 
 I profess. Truly the review of the past presents to me that 
 portion of life, which I have sacrificed to the world and to 
 my passions. But what consolation do I not find combined 
 with this melancholy recollection ! I cannot remember my 
 former sins, without observing at the same time all the ways 
 in which the mercy of God has accompanied me. I dis- 
 cover the particular care which God took of me while I yet 
 pursued the paths of iniquity. I recognise the benevolent 
 warnings which called me back without ceasing to my duty. 
 And O ! with what consolation and joy was my soul then 
 replenished! How endless, O God, must I exclaim with 
 the prophet, is thy mercy ! 
 
 In the union with my Saviour, I shall also be inexpressibly 
 comforted through those things which take place before my 
 sight, in the world. That inconstancy, that injustice, and 
 
WITH GOD. 491 
 
 that censure from men, which cause such disquietude to the 
 children of the flesh, will only serve to teach me how happy 
 I am that I have chosen a better master. But yet far more 
 effectually does the future console me. I dwell on my hope 
 of bliss, and on the ecstatic moment when I shall be asso- 
 ciated among the citizens of heaven, reunited to my brethren 
 whom I had lost on earth, and embodied in the immortal 
 community of the eternal God. I perceive that though I 
 even offer up the present, I sacrifice nothing ; that in one 
 moment all will have passed away ; and that the affliction, 
 which I suffer here, must be esteemed as a thing without 
 reality, if I compare it to the glory which is provided for 
 me. I see that the rapid-winged transition of all immediate 
 objects does not once deserve that years or even centuries 
 should be numbered. 
 
 O ! wherefore have I not long since bowed myself under 
 the sceptre of my Jesus, in order to gain these delights ? 
 Wherefore, in order to sweeten the past, the present, and the 
 future, have I not sought a union with my redeeming Jesus ? 
 Hasten, my soul, with the dawning day, to ally thyself with 
 the Lord, whose friendship must render pleasant every bit- 
 terness, and make desirable even that which is most repug- 
 nant to the flesh. Cast off the ties which still bind thee to 
 the earth. Come and enjoy the liberty which Christ, the 
 Saviour, proclaims to thee. How much disquiet does the 
 memory of thy former follies cause thee ! How much sorrow 
 does the spectacle of the immediate misery of the world 
 occasion to thy bosom ! How much anxiety does the consi- 
 deration of thy future fate awaken within thee ! And how 
 full of distress are, consequently, the days of thy life ! O ! 
 cast off from thee this oppressive burden, and in Jesus seek 
 repose for thy spirit, in him absolution from thy sins, in him 
 joy for the present, in him hope for the future. 
 
 NOVEMBER 30. 
 
 Life and Death separated by a narrow Boundary. 
 
 /"HEN the speedy lapse of time alarms me T think upon 
 
492 MORNINO COMMUNINGS 
 
 the comfort I possess in thee, thou Eternal ; and, consoling 
 myself with thy grace, look with more tranquillity towards 
 the future, because it rests in thy hands. But I will also be 
 attentive to the warning which thou wouldst convey to me 
 by the swift flight of time. The beginning and the end of 
 my days border closely on each other. The first moment in 
 which I begin to live already announces to me the last: day 
 is a forerunner of night : life is in the midst of death. In un- 
 interrupted vicissitude one season succeeds to another, and 
 with irresistible force they drag me forward with them into 
 eternity. This is the doctrine which every setting sun preaches 
 to me; but yet more strongly and impressively does this 
 day publish it to me, on which I again conclude another 
 month, and which brings me nearly to the close of an entire 
 year. O ! would that I had sooner reflected on the fleetriess 
 of my life ! And would tbat it might now, therefore, be my 
 lot that I should become wiser arid better through this medi- 
 tation ! In manifold instances have I been reminded of this ; 
 and as often again forgotten it. I have gone onward under 
 vain hopes with respect to the future, without remembering 
 that man cannot call the next minute his own. I have con- 
 stantly dreamed of a long existence, without noticing that 
 every day, every hour, every moment, admonished me, that 
 my life is brief and transient. 
 
 Far be it from me, however, that I should still longer live 
 amid these futile visions and these airy expectations ! Let 
 this, the final day of the month, rouse me maturely and ear- 
 nestly to contemplate my grand destination for eternity, and 
 to break loose from empty phantasies and corrupt propensi- 
 ties. Who am I, Lord, that thou hast not long since cut short 
 my days, and snatched me out of the world in the plenitude 
 of my vain and fruitless hopes ? O ! how can I sufficiently 
 thank thee, that thou hast so long endured me with indul- 
 gence and forbearance, and made every day a day of salva- 
 tion to my soul ! How can I compensate thee for those benefits 
 which thou hast day by day showered down at my feet ! 
 Lord, I can do nothing more than confess to thee my entire 
 unworthiness, and humble myself before thee. Accept, O 
 my God, with thy accustomed mercy, this incense of a 
 deeply affected and contrite heart, for Jesus' sake. Look 
 with compassion upon thy servant, who solemnly resigns him- 
 
WITH GOD. 493 
 
 self anew to thy guidance, and anew devotes himself to thy 
 ministration and to thy love : and continue still further in thy 
 longsuffering to bear with a sinner who can adduce no other 
 merit than the fully-availing and sufficient sacrifice of obla- 
 tion which Jesus offered up for the absolution and abolition 
 of our iniquities. Make me rich in thy grace, and let the vow 
 of my bosom be pleasing to thee. No longer will I wrong 
 thy patience, no longer close my heart against the fatherly ac- 
 cents of thy lips ; I will labour with sincerity and zeal to pro- 
 duce my amendment, and strive to become worthy of the 
 grace which I to-day supplicate from thee, of the blessing with 
 which thou prosperest me, of the patience with which thou 
 dealest with me. 
 
 DECEMBER 1. 
 
 Tranquil Anticipation of the Future. 
 
 I SHOULD be unworthy of the goodness with which thou, O 
 Lord of my life, hast hitherto protected me, if I did not look 
 forward to the future with trust and confidence ; for too anx- 
 ious cares are sins against thy providence. How could I, in- 
 deed, still entertain a single doubt of thy merciful guidance, 
 when every day and every smaller division of my life render 
 visible to me the most evident traces of thy wisdom, omnipo- 
 tence, and kindness ? No, I cannot otherwise than with the 
 most confident heart look towards the future, which thou, the 
 same benign Deity who hast manifested thyself so gloriously 
 in the past seasons of my existence, wilt skilfully and gra- 
 ciously direct. 
 
 Well do I know, that in this month, likewise, every return- 
 ing day will give me new testimonies of thy propitious provi- 
 dence in regard to myself. I shall find in thee a Benefactor 
 that loads me with his blessings, prospers me by his support, 
 and rejoices me, though he also shames me through his love. 
 Thou wilt be to me a Father, who treats his weak qhild with 
 forbearance and indulgence, and tenderly aids him to rise, 
 when he stumbles and falls. Thou wilt not withdraw from 
 me thy gifts, although my corrupted heart makes itself so 
 
494 MORNING COMMUNINGS 
 
 often undeserving of them ; thou wilt accompany my upright 
 and duteous efforts with thy benediction, and thou wilt present 
 to me, through the dispensations of thy wisdom, new incite- 
 ments, in every vicissitude of my life, to bend my strenuous 
 efforts to my amendment, and to labour to become more de- 
 serving of thy love, more confirmed in goodness, and richer 
 in heavenly endowments. 
 
 I know that this month, nay, that even this day, will not be 
 void of afflictions and sinister accidents. But I perceive, too, 
 that I should be supremely unhappy, if I met with nothing 
 that humbled my pride, punished my levity, and inclined my 
 earthly-minded heart to better principles ; and that the Lord 
 even then confers favour upon me, when he bringeth me low 
 and proveth me. And I most sincerely implore thee, O God, 
 that thou wouldst grant me patience, comfort, and resignation, 
 to accept with cheerfulness even the most painful visitations 
 from thy omniscient will, and to acknowledge the tenderness 
 of thy designs in everything that may befall me. In these 
 things also thou wilt act more sparingly towards me than I 
 have any claim to request, and not to assign to me a heavier 
 burden than I am able to bear. I will put rny hope in thee, 
 and, through Christ Jesus, entirely abandon myself to thy 
 goodness and grace. Lord, who hast never yet allowed any 
 one who faithfully relied upon thee, to come to shame, let me 
 also experience the healing of my belief, and feel how happy 
 the soul is, that yields itself up with perfect affiance to thee 
 I this day submit myself under all circumstances to thy 
 government. What evil can happen to me, when thou art 
 my God and my Saviour ? What have I any necessity to 
 fear, when thou remainest my refuge " 
 
 DECEMBER 2. 
 
 Our Contemplations to be raised from the Creation to the 
 Creator. 
 
 WITH no other intent has God formed the world so beautiful, 
 so diversified, and so charming, than that I might be attracted 
 to him by the spectacle of it, and by its glory. I must there- 
 
WITH aoD. 495 
 
 fore raise myself from the visible to the invisible, from the 
 corruptible to the incorruptible, from the creature to the 
 Creator. And in this manner can I even here attain to a 
 union with him, and during my temporal existence prepare 
 myself for eternity. All the goods and all the joys of the 
 earth ought to conduct me to thee, O Maker, to teach me the 
 greatness of thy omnipotence and goodness, and hereby ex- 
 cite me to confidence and love towards thee. This was the 
 wise end for which thou hast put me into the possession and 
 enjoyment of the blessings of this world, and provided grati- 
 fication and felicity for my soul. And with this view I may 
 every day fulfil, if I only observe, with attention, thy bounty, 
 and the magnitude of thy works. In vain do I attempt to 
 penetrate the secrets of nature, and to explore the laboratory 
 where she prepares her gifts, brings forth her wondrous pro- 
 ductions, and exerts her powers. How should I do otherwise 
 than humble myself before the sublime Author of this won- 
 derful and incomprehensible nature ! All creatures are so 
 formed all things in the world are so ordered that they may 
 afford me pleasure. How much love must, then, the Su- 
 preme Ruler of all things have for me? And who am I? 
 Whence shall I procure for myself force enough to love thee 
 in return, thou adorable Parent of all? Where shall I find 
 words sufficient to laud thy beneficence ? Thou hadst already 
 laid the foundation of my happiness, while as yet thy eye 
 alone beheld me. Thou hast prepared thy blessings for all 
 creatures : no one is shut out from the participation of thy 
 treasures. How sacredly does this bind me in duty, chari- 
 tably and benevolently to permit my poorer brethren to share 
 with me the abundance which thou hast committed to my 
 stewardship ! 
 
 But if the works of God thus overwhelm me with aston- 
 ishment, how great and how admirable must the Deity him- 
 self be ! How great, also, must therefore my felicity then 
 be, when I shall behold him as he is ! If a small stream of 
 the celestial delight is already so pleasant, how ravishing 
 must the source be from which all the tides and torrents of 
 ecstasy flow ! If a ray of the Divine light be so enchant- 
 ing, how glorious will the sun itself be ! If this place of 
 my temporary, earthly sojournment be so beautiful, how 
 much more so will be the dwellings in my Father's home ! 
 
MORNING COMMUNINGS 
 
 Holy God, from whom proceed all devout inspirations, 
 awaken me, through thy Spirit, to these lofty musings. Let 
 me not be debased to the irrational animals, by directing my 
 regards merely to the earth, without soaring upwards to thec, 
 most glorious Lord. Graciously prevent me from suffering 
 myself to be so bound in the fetters of worldly ideas, as to 
 be prevented from launching my more serious thoughts into 
 the regions of heaven and eternity. In all things let thy 
 adorable attributes be figured to my conception, and so be- 
 come to me an effectual impulse above all things to love and 
 fear thee, and to place my trust in thy mercy. So shall I 
 even here feel a portion of that blessedness which I shall 
 afterwards enjoy in its perfect magnitude, when I shall no 
 longer be forced to raise myself up from earth to heaven, 
 but shall see thee face to face, and magnify thce witli thy 
 angels. 
 
 DECEMBER 3 
 
 The Consecration of our entire Faculties to God. 
 
 To thee alone, my God and my Father, ought I to apper- 
 tain ; to thee only should all the efforts, and all the feelings 
 of my heart be consecrated. I ought never to allow my 
 mind to be devoid of a strong sense of my destination, arid 
 never debase that dignity with which thy goodness has dis- 
 tinguished me, inasmuch as by investing me with reason and 
 free-will, it has made me capable of subduing all my sinful 
 and sensual propensities, and becoming similar to thyself. 
 
 But every day of my life displays to me improprieties 
 which I have committed, or follies and errors by which I 
 have disgraced my human dignity. If at any time I dis- 
 cover any goodness in myself, O ! thou Fountain of bliss, 
 how gladly would I increase it, and consecrate myself en- 
 tirely to thee; for to thce be dedicated all those powers 
 wherewith for the noblest purposes thou hast endowed me ! 
 Gifted with an intelligent spirit, I will hallow it to thee, and 
 employ it in reflecting on the wonders of thy grace and 
 power", searching into the truths of salvation, and educating 
 myself for heaven. I have desires and inclinations ; lo ! 
 
WITH GOD. 497 
 
 to thee they shall be sacrificed. I will long after thy grace; 
 I will covet thy wisdom ; and the happiness of eternity shall 
 be the aim of my endeavours. Do 1 possess honour, influ- 
 ence, and respect ? I will devote them to thee. I will re- 
 sort to every means that thy glory, my Creator, may be uni- 
 versally diffused throughout my sphere, and that thy excel- 
 lent views may be accomplished. Do I possess wealth ? I 
 will make an oblation of it to God, and use it to sustain the 
 needy, to comfort the wretched, and to refresh the hungry and 
 the famished. Do I possess health and vigour ? To thy ser- 
 vice and to that of mankind they shall be entirely subjected. 
 O God, how supremely happy should I indeed be, were I 
 this morning-hour really devoted to thee with so pious a 
 heart ! and dared I to hope, that I should always continue 
 so, what a blessing should I provide for myself all the days 
 of my life. But, alas 1 I feel how much force it requires to 
 complete this offering. Do thou thyself remove the ob- 
 stacles which prevent me from becoming wholly thine. 
 Rouse me, through thy grace, to an earnest resolution and 
 sacred zeal to dedicate myself wholly to thee. O ! how sweet 
 will it be, if in the evening of this day I can truly say ; " I 
 have now become more righteous and more pleasing to God; 
 I have subdued my lusts, tamed my appetites, gained the 
 victory over my corruption, and dedicated my heart to the 
 Almighty." If I am able in all truth to bear this testimony 
 to mv conduct, then will my peace be secured for ever, and 
 my felicity exceed all utterance. O ! aid me, my Lord and 
 my God, in the pursuit of this blessedness, with thy grace 
 and with the support of thy Holy Spirit. Let thy grace 
 prevail over the perverseness of my heart, and endue me 
 with the strength, even as thou hast given me the disposition, 
 to become thy property and thy faithful servant. 
 
 DECEMBER 4. 
 
 The Happiness of being a real Christian. 
 
 MANY of my fellow-mortals, without doubt, esteem them- 
 selves already happy, if they behold this morning in peace 
 
 2K 
 
498 MORNTNG COMMUNINGS 
 
 and joy : arid if by means of riches and other advantages 
 they are placed in a situation to accomplish their wishes, and 
 to provide for themselves the comforts and pleasures of life. 
 But. how lamentable and uncertain is such a happiness ! how 
 incapable of enjoying their existence are those who deem 
 themselves thus fortunate ! They possess nothing further 
 than earthly prosperity and abundance : I boast of the feli- 
 city of being a Christian, and of knowing the way in which 
 I can find tranquillity for my soul. The happiness which 
 Christ promises me is not subject to incessant changes and 
 alterations ; but it extends to eternity, and can convey me 
 into that land where is the fulness of joy. My Saviour 
 never flatters me with the expectation of perfect happiness in 
 this world. Contentment is that which he has declared he 
 will bestow : and this I may secure, if I follow his admoni- 
 tions, let the tide of events flow how it will. From him I 
 anticipate no such pleasures as depend on the gratification of 
 my inordinate lusts. He deceives me with no such uncer- 
 tain and contingent felicity, as that which I may hope for 
 in health of body, in my friends, or in other temporal bless- 
 ings. No ; he presents to me such a happiness, as will, in 
 spite of all the world, retain its resplendency : a happiness 
 that is compatible with the loss of fortune and favourers, 
 with contempt and disgrace, with persecution and misery, 
 and even with death itself: a grandeur and dignity, which 
 are only the more highly exalted by the most calamitous 
 destinies. 
 
 Wherefore could I, then, when Christ offers such glorious 
 advantages to me, act so foolishly as to strive merely after 
 things, whose value and attractions are the mere chimeras of a 
 carnal imagination ? Is it not enough, that I daily observe 
 in so many thousands of other men, what bitter disappoint- 
 ment follows the hopes which are erected only on a terrestrial 
 basis ? This day will afford me abundant examples of my 
 former experience. I shall see, and perhaps be personally 
 taught, how unfaithful is the friendship of the world, how 
 transient are its pleasures, how tormenting its riches, and how 
 vain its expectations. O ! then, I must toil for those other 
 and higher attainments exalted above the atmosphere of 
 worldly vicissitude. Be virtue my opulence; be rectitude 
 my nobility ; be intercourse with God my joy 5 be faith in 
 
WITH GOD. 499 
 
 Jesus my prosperity. Hitherto I have employed all my 
 faculties, and so much valuable time, to catch an evanescent 
 happiness : ought I not to do as much for the happiness of 
 eternity ? Hitherto my care has been directed only to my- 
 self: ought I not as a disciple of my most loving Redeemer 
 to promote the welfare of my brethren ? And since my real 
 felicity and my soul's quiet hinge on these cardinal points, I 
 supplicate thee, O God, that thou wilt assist me to conduct 
 myself thus nobly and thus Christian-like. Conduct me into 
 the ways where true happiness and true honour await me, 
 and then maintain me in the disposition to desire nothing 
 meaner than that which has been acquired for me through 
 Jesus Christ. 
 
 DECEMBER 5. 
 
 Gratitude to, and Reliance on God 
 
 GOD, Creator of my life, and my bountiful Preserver ! My 
 God, through, whose indulgent favour I rise to this new day, 
 be thou my earliest thought ! Thankfulness and reliance are 
 the feelings which I devote to thee. Thou hast till now pro- 
 tected my existence, thou hast borne with me in patience 
 when I stumbled, and hast heaped upon me innumerable 
 blessings. For all this I thank thee, benevolent Father. 
 Thy goodness has watched over me till now, that no misfor- 
 tune might approach me. And only from thy compassion 
 do I expect, for the present day, that help and support with- 
 out which I cannot in my feebleness subsist. That I con- 
 tinue in a condition to be active in my affairs, and to contri- 
 bute to my own happiness, and to that of others ; that I and 
 mine remain free from the dangers which constantly threaten 
 both existence and health all this is thy gift, and springs 
 from thee. Thou alone art that on which my eyes dwell, 
 and on thy grace rests all my confidence. Before thee I 
 pour out my heart, and with a soul panting with emotion 
 worship thee for the riches of thy pitying goodness. 
 
 Ah ! I perceive, ashamed and penitent, how little I de- 
 serve the proofs of thy love. My life is a succession of 
 
500 MORNING COMMUNINGS 
 
 errors, inadvertencies, arid failings. Every day for each is 
 a memorial of thy forbearing affection, ought to enliven and 
 strengthen my zeal for virtue, and animate me to dedicate 
 myself wholly to thy worship, and to love thee with all my 
 heart and with all my soul : but my conscience reproaches 
 me with having paid to thee only verbal vows of piety, and 
 with having rendered myself worthy of thy long-sparing 
 compassion by no amendment and no sanctification of my 
 life. How many opportunities of becoming pleasing to thee, 
 through works of love and wisdom, have I heedlessly neg- 
 lected ! how much precious time have I sacrificed only to 
 worldly undertakings ! how little have I aspired at that which 
 is above ! Yet contrition itself is acceptable to thee; and I, 
 this morning, repeat my solemn promise of reform, which I 
 will fulfil more faithfully than hitherto, hold perpetually 
 sacred, and never violate again. How happy am I when I 
 belong to thee, when I consecrate myself to thy worship, 
 and wrestle for thy grace ! Could I, indeed, be more so than 
 I am by depending solely on thee ? Be my entire fate com- 
 mended to thy disposal ; rule it according to thy pleasure, 
 and lead me after thy counsel : thy will alone is my law. 
 Govern my inclinations, my sentiments, and my wishes. 
 I commit myself without reserve into thy protection and thy 
 
 fuidance. Let thy favour, which has thus far conducted me, 
 e likewise near to me to-day. Be mine, be all men's bene- 
 factor and defender. Should my days be still prolonged, to 
 thee let them all be devoted. Let me not pass any one < 
 them without increasing in holiness; let also this morning 
 the freshness of thy goodness be upon me. O ! that I might 
 on every future morning, be found more deserving of this 
 beneficence. 
 
 DECEMBER 6. 
 
 The Sin of Discontentment. 
 
 I SHOULD be the most ungrateful creature that breathes, if 
 did not perceive that God has made me capable of happ 
 ness. For nature continually conveys to me new pleasures, 
 and new enjoyments through all my senses, and to these 
 
WITH GOD, 5vl 
 
 pleasures and enjoyments the feelings of my heart are adapted. 
 Even though fortune arid abundance are wanting to me, yet 
 my heart, if only satisfied, affords me daily so many gratifi- 
 cations, that I may at least he contented with my lot, and 
 have cause enough gratefully to praise the goodness of God. 
 For my life is dear to me even from this very circumstance, 
 that it is nothing but toil and labour ; since toil and labour 
 render pleasure every day a novelty, and the less I think 
 how I shall enjoy it, the sweeter and more agreeable it is to 
 me. Am I obliged to accommodate myself to the privation 
 of many of those worldly advantages which, according to 
 the predominant opinion of men, produce felicity ; religion, 
 wisdom, and virtue bestow upon me such blessings that, pos- 
 sessed of them, I shall not envy the greatest worldly pros- 
 perity. 
 
 I were, indeed, ungrateful if I should be either discon- 
 tented or envious, since God has granted to me every- 
 thing that is indispensable to my w r ell-being; and those things 
 whicli I may not, perhaps, possess, would unquestionably, if 
 I obtained them, not render me happier, but probably make 
 me unhappy. If I were rich, I should, perhaps, be per- 
 verse, or avaricious, or overbearing and unmerciful. Were 
 I placed in a higher rank than that in which God has sta- 
 tioned me, I should, perhaps, think less of God himself, 
 should evince more superciliousness towards my brethren, 
 and become detestable through my pride. Had I more gra- 
 tifications and amusements, 1 should wholly forget both my 
 duties and my Creator, and lie sunken in lasciviousness and 
 vice. And were my situation different from what it is, T 
 should, perhaps, be spending this morning in actions that 
 might involve me in the surest destruction, or, at least, in 
 torment and remorse. 
 
 It is, therefore, one of the unacknowledged blessings which 
 I owe to thee, O God, that thou hast fixed me in that station 
 rhich is infallibly the most advantageous for me, both in 
 time and in eternity. O ! let me then also be thankful to 
 thee for this dispensation, and not dishonour thy all-wise 
 governance by murmurings and complaints. The lot which 
 thou hast decided for me, the destiny which thou hast ap- 
 pointed to me, the prosperity which thou hast measured out 
 to me, the sufferings which thou hast dealt to me all will 
 
502 MORNING COMMUNINGS 
 
 prove beneficial for me if I only employ them according to 
 thy views. The more I am convinced of this the greater 
 will be my quiet and contentment. If I only confidently 
 believe that all which may this day occur to me is salutary 
 for me, it cannot otherwise than follow, that I shall pass my 
 hours in the most placid tranquillity of mind. 
 
 DECEMBER 7. 
 
 The present World only a State of Trial 
 
 IF I regard my life on this earth in its right aspect, it must 
 be evident to me that my existence is nothing else but a state 
 of trial, and I need not, therefore, expect in the present world 
 any unmixed happiness ; for otherwise the world would no 
 longer be a course of trial and preparation. If here I could 
 be as happy as I desire, I should cherish no longing for eter- 
 nity ; I should little concern myself about the safety of my 
 soul, but sin with still greater licence. The misery which I 
 find in the world draws my thoughts from the earth, and in- 
 clines my heart and my wishes to heavenly objects ; and the 
 good days which succeed to the bad, the joys which accom- 
 pany our sufferings, the alleviations and mitigations which 
 are imparted to me in my hours of sorrow and anxiety, the 
 hopes which elevate my soul all these constrain me towards 
 God, and fill my heart with love and reverence for the Sove- 
 reign of my life. 
 
 God has hitherto carried me through many dark ways in 
 order to prove me, whether also in his hidden paths I should 
 continue to put my trust in him, and not let my confidence 
 sink. He has so often oppressed me with diseases and weak- 
 nesses, to impress fully upon me that the fleshly veil where- 
 with I am clothed is fragile and of short duration. He hath 
 withdrawn from me the objects most cherished by my heart, 
 to loosen my attachment to things earthly, and to turn to 
 himself the current of 'my love. He hath allowed me in my 
 brief pilgrimage to experience numerous changes and vicissi- 
 tudes, in order to persuade me that this world is not the place 
 where man has to expect pure joy and unwearied tranquillity. 
 
WITH GOD. 503 
 
 He has delivered me out of so many dangers, to teach me 
 that he alone is the Almighty, from whom proceed all help 
 and rescue. But he has also permitted me to experience so 
 many agreeable events, in order to demonstrate to me his 
 goodness, and to try whether I would not let my self be allured 
 to him through love and kindness. All, all that has happened 
 in my life, and that is yet to happen, is to conduce to my 
 trial and purification. So will I then, to this end, faithfully 
 and wisely avail myself of every occurrence, and never doubt 
 that God will, with me also, do everything for the best. And 
 would that I might, with full conviction, perceive how good 
 the views of my God are in this respect ; that I might equally 
 make the calamity which he may send to me, and the felicity 
 which he may withhold from me, conspire to my preparation 
 for eternity, and my exercise in godliness ; and that to these 
 wholesome purposes I might likewise employ all the inci- 
 dents of the present day, and, through God's searching of 
 me, become wiser and more virtuous ! O God, do thou thy- 
 self beget in me an aptness for this result. Let me here, 
 during the scanty term of my inquisition, preserve faith and a 
 good conscience, and be hereafter installed as a proven 
 champion in the kingdom of perfection and recompense. 
 
 DECEMBER 8. 
 Reverence and Adoration due to God. 
 
 WITH what deep reverence and awe must I approach thy 
 throne, thou God of Majesty, now that I stand before thee, 
 and would offer up my prayers to thee ! How could I, 
 otherwise than with deep humility, appear in thy dread pre- 
 sence. I, who am a sinner, a poor, perishable mortal, how 
 could I remain unmoved when I contemplate thy adorable 
 attributes and works ? The splendid beauty of the world an- 
 nounces to me thy boundless goodness ; its immense extent 
 thy almighty power ; and its structure and arrangement thy 
 admirable wisdom. But, when I reflect on the dispensations 
 of thy grace, O ! then do thy attributes beam in full radiance 
 upon my eyes. I see how benignant, how righteous, how 
 
504 MORNING COMMUNINGS 
 
 wise, now mighty thou art ; and the more profoundly I pene- 
 trate into the mystery of thy grace, the more is my spirit 
 amazed. The more I study thy wonders, the more I am be- 
 come aware that they are not to be comprehended, and that 
 no understanding is capable of embracing them in its view. 
 Thy omnipotence is inconceivable, thy omnipresence immea- 
 surable, thy intelligence inscrutable. I lose myself in the 
 contemplation of them, and stand at a pause with my 
 thoughts and after all my pondering, I close my research 
 with this humble confession : " O ! the depth of the riches of 
 the wisdom and knowledge of God ! How incomprehensible 
 are his judgments, how unsearchable his ways !" 
 
 Wherever my eye turns, it beholds thy miraculous and stu- 
 pendous works. The heavens in all their pomp and glory, 
 celebrate thee, the Architect who buildeth by his word 
 the never- failing God of strength. Thou hast planted the 
 sun in the firmament ; and hast clothed him in his fiery 
 robe in his garment of brilliant light. Which of the my- 
 riad stars dost thou not govern and know ? O how gladly 
 would I join in yon exulting strains of the perfect who en- 
 compass thy footstool, and offer up their adorations to thee ; 
 but my feebleness scarcely allows me a faint lisping ; yet this 
 lisping, O God, thou despisest not; to thee even imperfect 
 accents are acceptable ! My imperfect thanksgivings will 
 not, therefore, displease thee. The time will be when I shall 
 more reverently and more purely publish thy praise. So 
 long, however, as I remain on the earth, my life shall be de- 
 voted to thy glorification : not my lips alone, but my heart 
 shall extol thee. 
 
 DECEMBER 9. 
 
 Resolution to perform the Duties of the Day. 
 
 I AWAKE the light of a new day beams upon me, and calls 
 me again to the affairs of this life. The dangers of the night 
 are surmounted, and I feel my limbs refreshed by gentle re- 
 pose. Life and health are once more my property : be my 
 first sensations, therefore, and my first ideas consecrated to 
 
 
 
WITH GOD. 505 
 
 thee, the Creator and preserver of my existence. To whom, 
 except to thee, are due the first fruits of those faculties which 
 thou hast granted to me? God, my Father and my Lord, 
 thy beneficent hand bestows upon me, with this new day, a new 
 life to taste thy goodness. I had as little right to expect this 
 day as so many thousands who have been overtaken, during the 
 past night, by their fate to whom sleep has become death ; 
 time become eternity ; and who now sleep the sleep of death, 
 never more to behold the light of this sun. 
 
 Lo ! all-beneficent God, I still live. Thy goodness and thy 
 patience have willed that I should yet longer exist. Thy de- 
 sign is to make me, ere my departure, more fit for an eternal 
 life. I hear thy voice ; I feel the risings of gratitude, and 
 the operations of thy Spirit and thy grace ; I will not resist 
 them. Lord, teach me to act according to thy pleasure ! 
 
 I hasten to the business of life. I will faithfully and in- 
 dustriously discharge it without removing from thee. It is 
 my earnest intention carefully to shun and eschew everything 
 by which I might displease thee. The joys and the pleasures 
 which thy goodness may this day impart to me, shall be to 
 me an incitement to dedicate to thee my heart and my life, 
 and to become worthy of those higher delights which thou 
 hast in keeping for me in heaven. The delusive pleasures of 
 the earth shall not dazzle me by their false show. All the 
 inclinations of my heart shall bear reference to thee alone. 
 Omniscient God, thou knowest my heart and provest it. I 
 see, beforehand, that notwithstanding my serious purpose and 
 so firm resolution, I shall yet be, alas ! but too often misled 
 into the frailties from which even thy saints are not free. Ah ! 
 how does this pain me ! I love thee, thou adorable Being, and 
 yet how often, subdued by sinful propensities, shall I wrong 
 thee! I feel my inability and foolishness; but, I trust in 
 the support of thy Spirit and thy goodness, when the con- 
 sciousness of my feebleness renders me timid. Ward off, O 
 God, the temptations that may overpower my strength, and 
 the trials under which I may fall. Forgive the failings which 
 I commit in my precipitancy, and let me not run into those 
 sins which may rob me of the blessed hope of attaining thy 
 grace. I know no greater happiness than to be worthy of 
 thy favour ; no sweeter comfort than the feeling of thy love ; 
 no higher glory than to belong to Jesus. O ! let me then 
 
506 MORNING COMMUNINGS 
 
 strive after this happiness, this comfort, this glory : so will 
 my days be happy and peaceful ; and not only will this brief, 
 span-long life glide tranquilly and contentedly away, but I shall 
 be infinitely more happy in that eternity to which this day 
 brings me nearer. 
 
 DECEMBER 10. 
 
 Aspiring after Heaven. 
 
 MY Christian citizenship, my hope, and my eternal destina- 
 tion are in heaven. To think of this, to become every day 
 more confirmed in the persuasion of it, and always to regard 
 the things of this world with growing indifference such is 
 my bounden obligation so long as I yet live on earth. God 
 has encompassed my terrestrial existence with so many hard- 
 ships and disappointments, in order that even here I might 
 walk as if in heaven; and that while on earth my soul might 
 collect treasures for eternity. And yet my foolish heart 
 strives so earnestly after the vain joys and riches of this 
 world, which will not present themselves to me in their true 
 shape till the hour of death. All that I have prized at so 
 high a rate in the present life will then appear to me as no- 
 thing ; and that, on the contrary, which I have contemned 
 will seem to me important above everything; and I shall 
 perceive, too late, that it had merited my love during the 
 whole series of my days. Therefore I will frequently and 
 earnestly call to mind the vanity of whatever is mundane, 
 the trouble with which it often fills my breast, and the bitter 
 cares with which it oppresses my heart : I will form ani- 
 mated conceptions of the felicity of heaven, that the misery 
 and the evils of this life may become lighter to me. When 
 I consider that my stay here is but a short space, that I am 
 already engaged in my journey to my celestial country, it 
 can no longer grieve me that I have to endure both storm 
 and mischance on the way. When I reflect that through the 
 difficulties of my temporal pilgrimage my strength is to be 
 exercised and augmented, and that this life is the season of 
 sowing, the time to come the everlasting harvest ; O ! how 
 is my soul exalted by the belief that they who now sow in 
 
WITH GOD. 507 
 
 tears will hereafter reap in joy ! I will, therefore, prudently 
 employ this so precious seedtime, which cannot be regained 
 if lost ; I will be unwearied in goodness, that I may reap 
 without ceasing. 
 
 Let it be my sole occupation to render myself worthy of 
 that felicity which is appointed for me hereafter. Thither 
 shall all my wishes tend ; with this shall all my thoughts be 
 employed ; and this must be the object at which I must per- 
 petually aim, and which I must allow no earthly object to 
 conceal from me. Then will my actions be in heaven ; 
 whence I await my Lord and Saviour, Jesus Christ, who 
 will transfer my vile body, that it may be like to his glorified 
 person, according to the strength of his mighty power, 
 through which he can subjugate all things to himself. 
 
 DECEMBER 11. 
 
 The best-spent Life tht longest. 
 
 To live long is the common and ardent wish of mortals, and, 
 perhaps, the desire of my own soul at the break of this day. 
 But supposing even, that after this life there were no other 
 happier condition for my spirit no immortality to be ex- 
 pected, it appears still neither wise nor rational to wish for a 
 protracted existence. For even though a long life were free 
 from all toil and trouble, it is not, on that account, worthy of 
 our wishes, because old age occasions inactivity, and renders 
 us incapable of enjoying the gratifications of the very life 
 which we covet ; because it is burdensome to others, in con- 
 sequence of its peevish disposition, and places us in a state 
 of helplessness. But when I know that 1 shall enter into a 
 higher state of existence, and enjoy a more delightful society, 
 why should I wish to remain longer in the world, and to be- 
 come burdensome to those who can scarcely refrain from 
 telling me that my departure would be more agreeable to them 
 than my company ? 
 
 Thinking thus, how can I continue earnestly to desire to 
 attain to an advanced age ? No ; God forbid that I should 
 be disposed to prescribe to Providence, how long it shall be 
 
508 MORNING OOMMUNINGS 
 
 granted to me to remain in this state of trial. Be this my 
 only wish and care, that through assiduous and conscientious 
 industry I may succeed in doubling my time ; and that I 
 may, at the appointed hour, finish like a faithful labourer my 
 task in this world. Should then the Omniscient extend my 
 years to a late period, the retrospect of a life, dedicated to my 
 duties, and to the good of my brethren, will alleviate the 
 grievances of age ; and the esteem and love of those for 
 whom I had diligently and faithfully toiled, and whose wel- 
 fare I ever consulted, will accompany me to the grave. With 
 this prospect I need not fear the years of which I may be led 
 to express my dissatisfaction when they arrive. 
 
 Father and Lord of my life ! I leave to thy wise counsel 
 to decide how long I shall still live on this earth. Thy good- 
 ness determines the period when I shall forsake this tempo- 
 ral world, shall lay down the burden of life, and enter into 
 the bosom of the grave ; and this period is for me the best 
 and the most beneficial. I may die either early or late, in 
 the bloom of my time, or with gray hairs ; if I only retire 
 from the earth in peace, then my full wish is accomplished. 
 
 DECEMBER, 12. 
 
 Godliness preferable to all other Possessions. 
 
 HEALTH, riches, honour, and love these are the precious 
 possessions for the acquirement of which the whole world so 
 anxiously long ; and could the morning prayer of the great- 
 est portion of mankind be revealed, these advantages would 
 be found to comprehend the chief summary of their wishes. 
 And when I sincerely examine myself, I also discover in my 
 own soul the same desire of health, riches, honour, and love. 
 This desire is not culpable : but would that I might choose 
 the right means of obtaining these earthly blessings ! Would 
 that I might supplicate God only for a pious heart ! so 
 would all other blessings follow. For godliness is the way 
 by which I may secure to myself health, riches, honour, and 
 friendship : it is profitable for all things, and has the promise 
 both of this and of the future life. 
 
WITH GOD. 509 
 
 If I walk uprightly before God, I may also expect a 
 sound and long life ; for righteousness and piety defend the 
 heart from those pernicious desires and passions which sap 
 the constitution, and through vexation and remorse more or 
 less rapidly destroy life. Is my heart devoted to God, then 
 will the blessing of God accompany my undertakings ; God 
 will watch over me with his especial providence, prosper my 
 plans, and crown my work with good success. And though 
 I should not be able to arrive at vast wealth, godliness will 
 confer upon me contentment and satisfaction ; and these are 
 greater riches, and more immense gain, than all the opulence 
 of the earth. If I am virtuous, I shall obtain both honour 
 and respect : every friend of rectitude will esteem me in a 
 high degree, and pay homage to my character. And this 
 will be to me a complete remuneration for all the calumnies 
 of the ungodly and the infidel. If I am but sincerely dis- 
 posed towards God, I shall never fail of having friends : I 
 shall always find upright persons who will bestow on me 
 their hearts, and make my interest their own. 
 
 Let it, therefore, be my first and most earnest resolution on 
 the morning of this day, to be godly and virtuous ! On this 
 will depend the accomplishment of all my other wishes. The 
 more godly I am, the more tranquilly, the more contentedly, 
 and the more happily I shall live. Of all those things, after 
 which the children of this world so vehemently strive, I shall 
 not miss any, but, possessed of better treasures, shall not even 
 once desire them. The healthfulness of my soul will render 
 even the maladies of my body supportable, and arm my mind 
 with courage and force, when I am compelled to suffer. The 
 consciousness of having deserved God's grace will tranquillize 
 when the world despises and disregards me, and thus will my 
 soul steadfastly endure the hardships and evils of this life, and 
 enjoy its gratifications with temperance^and thankfulness. 
 
 DECEMBER 13. 
 
 Thanks for the Divine Protection during the Night. 
 
 AFTER a long night the cheering rays of morning at length 
 beam upon my eyes, and seem to dart even into my soul. I 
 
1 MORNING COMMUNINGS 
 
 again gaze on that bright glory of the sun, which proclaims 
 with such high pomp its Maker's greatness. I slept in full 
 tranquillity, while nature reposed also, exhibiting no sign of 
 its wonted activity. I abandoned repose with the firm trust 
 that God's goodness would allow me to behold the light of 
 day once more. And this, through his mercy, has occurred : 
 I live and enjoy my life. That I am now awoke from sleep 
 is no lesser proof of the power of the Omnipotent, than if he 
 had aroused me from the grave or created me anew. Ah ! 
 God, how easily in the past night might my bed have become 
 my bier ! How easily might misfortune have attacked me, 
 and my entire property have been reduced to ruin and con- 
 sumed ! But through thy omnipotence and thy goodness, O 
 my God, I have been preserved, and through thy powerful 
 compassion protected from destruction. Therefore do I offer 
 up to thee, from my whole soul, adoration, thanks, and joy. 
 
 I now return in comfort and in peace to the labour which 
 thou, O Lord, hast appointed to my station. In all my ac- 
 tions I will still revere thy wonders, and with qui t content- 
 ment hold my reliance on thee. I know with certainty that 
 that which thy bounty has determined for me will duly be- 
 come my portion. Thou wilt as little withdraw thy hand 
 from me as from the mute creatures whom thou so marvel- 
 lously nourishest. Thou who feedest the birds will also be- 
 neficently and parentally provide for my necessities, and per- 
 mit me to want nothing that pertains to the support of my 
 existence. How inexcusable would be my conduct, should I 
 this morning give place within my breast to any anxious soli- 
 citude ! Thus long, under thy charge, have I already con- 
 tinued my life, and thy gracious kindness has never deserted 
 me. Wilt thou in the future take less interest for me, or 
 love me with diminished faithfulness? No ; thou remainest 
 the same as thou wast from eternity, changeless in thy love, 
 unalterable in thy sentiments, and true in all thy promises. 
 Sooner could I be wholly annihilated than thou cease to em- 
 ploy for me thy care. 
 
 With this most exhilarating conviction I can look forward 
 with a courageous mind to whatever destiny may hereafter at- 
 tend me. Under all circumstances I shall find in thee the God 
 that is able to help, defend, rescue, and bless. No perplexity 
 'rill be so great that thou shouldst not resolve it ; no danger 
 
WITH GOD. 511 
 
 so formidable that I shall not be secured, if thou keepest thy 
 eyes open over me ; no blessing can be conceived which I 
 may not expect from thee, if I only walk in thy ways and ob- 
 serve thy commandments. So be it then my first business 
 and my most eager care, that my heart may rest pure and 
 devoted to thee, and hang upon thee in filial love ; for all 
 that can be termed happiness or well-being lies in the con- 
 sciousness of an undefiled heart and in heartfelt peace. 
 Nothing will be deficient to my happiness if I am only obe- 
 dient to thy statutes, faithful in thy service, industrious in my 
 calling, and solicitous for the true good of my soul. 
 
 DECEMBER 14. 
 
 The Winter Season. 
 
 WHY should I be discontented with winter? How infinitely 
 propitious is it to him who has learned to profit by soli- 
 tude ! Everything is replete with providential views and 
 graciousness, even in the ordering of the seasons. To the 
 Christian no winter's night is so rough and stormy that it 
 should make him forget the goodness of God ; nor nature 
 ever, even in this dreary portion of the year, so barren that 
 he may not learn something from her. The long night, which 
 sometimes robs sleep of a few hours, is often blessed to me 
 through pious thoughts. When my weary eyes prevent me 
 in the evening from looking through myself, the hours of 
 night after my first rest, have still light enough to array be- 
 fore me the sins of the day. 
 
 Where remain the seeds of verdure which I saw springing 
 up in the autumn ? Are the fields vanished ? They and 
 their seeds lie in repose, while to the snow is allotted the 
 office of covering them with its shining mantle and warming 
 them. The earlier the evening breaks in with a clear sky, 
 the more speedily do the stars issue from their obscurity. 
 And perhaps one of those departed mortals who lately dwelt 
 on this ball of earth, now looks down out of these illuminated 
 bodies and bewails my toil and labour : for I gather for time 
 and lose for eternity. 
 
 See the variegated panes of glass, which the night-frost has 
 
 
512 MORNING COMMUNINGS 
 
 enamelled with the loveliest flowers ! a sunbeam wipes away 
 these sparkling figures. Thus fancy pictures to me unsub- 
 stantial flowers that quickly disappear, when reality interrupts 
 the dream. How do the rich misuse the winter ! They waste 
 alike the short days and the long evenings, as if their length 
 were more than sufficient to provide for eternity. Be thou 
 wiser, my soul : enjoy thyself in the Almighty God, whose 
 greatness even winter proclaims to thee so loudly. For what a 
 desolation is there in nature, and yet what a silent and won- 
 drous energy, which my soul would not conjecture if spring did 
 not reveal it to me ! What an incomprehensible revolution of 
 things, when winter devastates all nature, and that which was 
 before so rich and glorious lies now before us in the most 
 needy guise ! O ! is not this an image of the fate of man ? 
 And is there not in this a comfort to my soul ? 
 
 For these reflections each winter-day affords me subjects : 
 it excites me also to make a miser's use of my short time, 
 and not to dream away an instant. I must indeed no longer 
 curtail the shortened days and hours in sins and diversions ; 
 but the fewer hours the day now contains, the more good and 
 praiseworthy actions I ought to perform. My time is of 
 small duration, and it rolls on rapidly. My life is like the 
 snow, which a dewy wind dissolves. I must haste and em- 
 ploy with precious industry the moments which are vouch- 
 safed to me for my salvation. Then shall I, when life's win- 
 ter closes around me, be able to look back with satisfaction on 
 my past days, and to bless each of them in gladness. Place 
 me, O God, through the support of thy Holy Spirit, in a 
 condition to become approved of by thee, both in life and in 
 death. 
 
 DECEMBER 15. 
 
 The Fewness and Sorrowfulness of the Days of Man. 
 
 MY whole life is full of pain and sorrow : each day brings 
 its peculiar trouble. How small is the number of those 
 hours in which happiness and joy unite, in comparison with 
 the multitude of the hours of woe ! Where are the days 
 
WITH GOD. 618 
 
 when I ever possessed those pure delights which no bitternecs 
 empoisons ? Where are the days when I ever found all in 
 happy unison, vigour of health, family felicity, peace of 
 spirit, tranquillity of heart ? Never shall I procure that 
 which can fully appease my desires. Am I healthful ; for- 
 tune fails me ! are both mine ; then I want a friend, or quiet 
 of conscience ! I may have as much, or as little, as destiny 
 directs, still I shall never possess all that I wish for. At 
 one time, the sensation of present evil tortures me ; at ano- 
 ther, I see those whose misery inspires me with pity, and 
 diffuses sadness over me. Now hours of anguish, arising 
 either from the pangs of awakening remorse, or from the 
 turbulence of the inordinate raging blood, overcast iny 
 bosom's serenity. Sometimes, frustrated hopes, unexpected 
 losses, or the chastising hand of Providence, afflict me. It 
 I calculate the days in which I have been unhappy; the 
 days which I have spent either in eating and drinking, or in 
 sleep, or in empty amusements ; the days in which I have 
 been busied in endeavouring to attain earthly success ; and, 
 lastly, the days in which I have been sick, dissatisfied, and 
 discontented; if I compute these days of my existence, 
 which I must deem in a certain measure lost, and oppose 
 the total sum to the days of conscientious activity and true 
 enjoyment, I shall find that there is little or no portion of 
 my life that confirms not the axiom of Job : i( Man born of 
 a woman hath a short time to live, and is full of misery." 
 
 And what would be the result to me, if I lived without a 
 wise and benignant Preserver in this so troubled and cala- 
 mitous world ? Then would my murmuring deserve consi- 
 deration, and my wish to die be justified. But since the 
 sufferings and hardships of this life are apportioned to me, 
 under the government and superintendence of a merciful and 
 almighty Being, I may rest well-pleased and tranquil. And 
 this is the powerful consolation with which I support myself 
 as often as I enter anew into the world. The belief of an 
 omnipotent Ruler of heaven and earth sweetens all the bitter- 
 ness of this passing life. The experience which I have 
 already had of his gracious sway replenishes my heart with 
 hope and ease. He will so regulate, according to his good- 
 ness, whatever befals me, that I shall have cause to praise 
 him even amid the severest afflictions. I shall, during this 
 
 2L 
 
514 MORNING COMMUNINGS 
 
 whole day, find ample occasions for this virtue. Even the 
 spectacle of the manifold necessities under which my fellow- 
 mortals groan, will teach me how kindly God deals with me, 
 since he has made my state far more supportable than theirs. 
 In all cases, I shall, however, likewise see, if I am observant 
 of the Lord's proceedings, that he often indeed lays on a 
 burden, but that he also never fails to send me help to bear 
 and finally surmount it. 
 
 DECEMBER 16. 
 
 Prayer for spiritual Gifts. 
 
 GOD, Creator and Lord of heaven and of earth, merciful 
 Benefactor and Father of mankind ! I worship thee thank- 
 fully and humbly as the Author and preserver of my life, as 
 the God of my salvation, as the one eternal and exhaustless 
 source of all my happiness. I joyfully thank thee for my 
 life, for my health, for my faculties, and for all the benefits 
 of body and soul which I enjoy. I especially thank thee 
 that thou hast sheltered me during the past night with thy 
 almighty protection, and hast infused into me new vigour 
 and new life. Thy goodness, O God, is renewed towards 
 me each morning, and thy truth is great. They infinitely 
 surpass all my deserts ; they are far too large that I should 
 ever worthily thank thee for them. Who am I, O God, 
 who am I that thou showest to me such fatherly affection ? 
 I am a sinner, who have so often transgressed thy holy law, 
 abused thy benefits, and thereby merited nothing save dis- 
 pleasure and punishment. Yes, Lord, how could I endure 
 wert thou to enter into judgment with me ? Yet thou actest 
 not by me according to my transgressions, but according to 
 thy grace in Christ Jesus. For the sake of him, my Media- 
 tor, thou art gracious to me, and visitest me not with thy 
 just anger, as I have well deserved. 
 
 Behold, I wholly and solely devote myself to thee. I 
 renew, in thy dread presence, my me st serious purpose to 
 repress all unruly desires that shall arise within ine ; to 
 conquer all the evil inclinations which belong to me, arid in 
 
WITH GOD. 515 
 
 my entire conduct to model myself, not after the example of 
 tile vicious, but after thy sacred ordinances. O God, do 
 thou thyself sustain this pious resolution with thy grace, and 
 grant me support to bring it to full maturity. Vouchsafe to 
 me thy Spirit, that it may enlighten me, purify me, and guide 
 rne in the way of truth and virtue. Defend me also this day 
 from all temptations to sin, and, if I am tempted, let me not 
 yield. Incline me to keep strict watch over myself, and let 
 the thought of thy omnipresence and omnipotence every- 
 where accompany me, that it may fill my heart with deep 
 reverence towards thee. Let sincere love towards all men, 
 together with the desire to be as useful to my brethren as 
 the ability which thou hast imparted to me and my social 
 relations will permit, be manifest on all occasions throughout 
 my life. Lend me health and strength for the demands of 
 my profession, and let thy blessing attend it. Grant that I 
 may faithfully discharge all the duties of my calling, prefer 
 the general good to my own private interest, and make thy 
 honour, and the salvation of my soul, the final aim of all 
 my efforts. Listen to me, Father of mercy, and be gracious 
 to me for Jesus Christ's sake. 
 
 DECEMBER 17. 
 
 The Joy of the Heart. 
 
 I WILL constantly endeavour, in uprightness and brotherly 
 affection, to live for the good of others, and not for myself 
 alone, serving them in their need, counselling them in their 
 difficulties, supporting them and assisting them whenever I 
 can. Such is the resolution with which 1 will this day re- 
 turn to the world, that in the evening 1 may be able to revert 
 in memory to deeds of love and sympathy, and enjoy the 
 consciousness that I have existed not merely for my own 
 benefit, but also for that of my fellow-creatures, and that I 
 have earnestly and disinterestedly promoted their welfare. 
 There is no joy like the heart's joy. O ! how often have I 
 experienced the truth of this maxim, when with ardent com- 
 miseration I hastened to the aid of the necessitous, and con- 
 
 
516 MORNING COMMUNINGS 
 
 veyed comfort and hope into the bosom of the unhappy ! 
 How well was it with me, when I had dried up tears, and 
 stilled sighs, or charitably pointed out the right way to the 
 straying wanderer, or raised the fallen through my exhorta- 
 tions and entreaties. Then I felt that there are no purer 
 delights than those of beneficence and mercy. And how 
 imperatively does the name which I bear, the revered name 
 of Christian, enjoin me to cherish such sentiments ! Christ 
 went about doing good, and I ought to hold one disposition 
 with Jesus Christ. May no day, then, pass over me on 
 which I shall not have performed some work of peace and 
 kindness with a faithful mind and sincere zeal. But how 
 often have I already formed this purpose, and how often been 
 untrue to it, because the ingratitude of my brethren Wounded 
 me, and cooled the warmth of tenderness within me ! But 
 O ! how dissimilar am I herein to my Redeemer, who, in 
 the midst of prejudiced and thankless men, continued assi- 
 duously and indefatigably to teach, to admonish, to encou- 
 rage, to warn, and to do good ! Does then the ingratitude 
 of a few invest me with a privilege of withdrawing my love 
 from all? Or ought I not, like my Saviour, for the sake of 
 goodness, to endure everything with gladness? Besides, 
 ingratitude is not always the reward of benevolent actions 
 and philanthropic exertions. And if with a uniformly friendly 
 spirit I direct those whom error has overtaken how to retrace 
 their steps ; if without pride and arrogance I advise and in- 
 struct others ; if with real sympathy I aid the needy in their 
 distresses, and adapt myself with skill and foresight to time 
 and circumstances, a tear of joy will often thank me, many 
 a comforted and amended heart will bless me, and prosperous 
 success will frequently recompense my exertions. But for- 
 bearance arid consideration towards the failings of my brethren 
 must herein be the principles from which I never deviate. 
 For me, who am myself so weak, it is a duty to bear with 
 the frailties of others ; and it would be indefensible in me, 
 were I to humble and distress the feeble by presumptuous 
 contempt. Are they not greatly deserving of my pity and 
 compassion ? Ought I not to account those unfortunate who 
 stand in need of support and of assistance ? And is it not 
 in this very indulgence and moderation towards the frail, the 
 erring, and the bjinded, that the force of Christian charity 
 
WITH GOD. 517 
 
 ought to display itself? Therefore will I aid my brethren, 
 and become neither weary, captious, negligent, cool, nor in- 
 active, even though my kindness will be not always acknow- 
 ledged, nor my love returned with thankfulness. And then, 
 thou, O longsuffering Father, in heaven, will smile down 
 upon me with approbation. 
 
 DECEMBER 18. 
 
 True and inexhaustible Sources of Joy. 
 
 THE worshipper of Jesus Christ, the truly pious man, can 
 never fail to find enjoyments : this I have often experienced 
 in my own heart. When I elevate my eyes on high to the 
 God who has created me ; when I consider his infinite, yet 
 at the same time beneficent Majesty ; when I represent to 
 myself in a vivid manner his exalted and adorable attributes; 
 must not blessed transports fill my soul ? When it has been 
 my happy lot to become acceptable to God through the 
 amelioration of my heart ; when I lift my soul up to him in 
 prayers of thanks ; when in the Spirit of iny Redeemer, I 
 am benignant arid merciful, how is my bosom filled with the 
 most rapturous and delicious feelings ! Arid to how many 
 pleasures am I daily invited by means of the works of God 
 in the kingdoms of nature and of grace! They are con- 
 stantly before my view, and I can at any time gratify myself 
 with their beauties. 
 
 And how could I lose sight of them ! how could I forget 
 God, my salvation, since he never ceases to display himself 
 in me, guiding me especially by hi:? love ; and since he ever 
 renders his often wonderful, but always benevolent and holy, 
 ordinances ultimately so clear in regard to me, that I am 
 forced to own, that all he does is good ! Yes, whenever with 
 mute and pious attention I meditate upon the ways in which the 
 Lord conducts me, I always find in them the most abundant 
 source of the noblest contentment, and of the most effectual 
 solace. When I think, O God, how thou hast hitherto or- 
 dered the whole world, then is my spirit of good cheer Yet 
 further, when I turn my looks upon my own peculiar condi- 
 
518 MORNING COMMUNINGS 
 
 tion and appointment, and remember at the same time God's 
 bounteous love, to which I owe all the happiness of my life, 
 then do I, indeed, discover cause to exult with my whole 
 heart. God gives blessings and success to my designs. He 
 grants to me health, cheerfulness, vigour, and willingness for 
 labour ; he averts from me dangers and disasters ! He has 
 made me so happy that if my heart is not otherwise dissatis- 
 fied, I have no reason to desire greater prosperity. How 
 many incitements do I hence receive to be contented and 
 pleased with my lot ! How gladly and thankfully must I 
 recognise the advantages which God bestows upon me above 
 so many thousands of my fellow-creatures ! But then more 
 especially am I truly filled with joy, when I think of my 
 heavenly destination, and of the felicity which will fall to my 
 share in a better world. 
 
 It will, therefore, depend upon myself, whether I shall pass 
 this recently commenced day in quiet and happiness. If I 
 am less satisfied, it is the fault of my own perverse and un- 
 believing heart,which does not rightly choose the means of con- 
 tentment. But why should I be thus cruel towards myself, and 
 render my own life painful and grievous? No; I will rejoice 
 that I have God for my friend and helper. I will receive. at 
 his hands with gratitude the cheerful hours which he sends 
 to me, and banish all vexation from my soul. By my sin- 
 cere contentment will I praise him, and thus give a new zest 
 to my existence. 
 
 DECEMBER 19. 
 
 Incitements to Amendment and Repentance, and the 
 Necessity for both. 
 
 How can I, notwithstanding such strong encouragements and 
 impulses to piety arid sanctity, longer delay to correct my 
 heart, and devote my soul to God ? How can I dastardly 
 despair of myself when I have God's support, and when my 
 amendment is not solely my own work, but that of the Lord 
 too? Or does the fear arising from the consideration of my 
 sins overwhelm me in sorrow ? Futile fear ! Which is 
 better the anguish and terror of a conscience wounded by 
 
WITH GOD. 519 
 
 voluntary and daring iniquities, and perpetually harrowed up 
 afresh; or the tranquillity of a conscience healed and propi- 
 tiated through unfeigned penitence? Or how can the sins 
 which I have hitherto nurtured, to my perdition, in my bo- 
 som, still be so agreeable to me, that it should be hard to me 
 to hate them as my enemies? Shall the phantasms and de- 
 ceptions which so oft befool me have more power over my 
 decisions than the truth, than the light, than the force of the 
 best and strongest arguments and motives ? Shall I not es- 
 teem arid prize the humanity and grace with which my Savi- 
 our formerly received, and with which he still daily receives, 
 contrite sinners? Shall I, through my own obstinacy, render 
 nugatory God's paternal solicitude to bring me to repent- 
 ance, and thus to rescue me from certain perdition ? 
 
 Far be it from me to act so hastily toward myself. Equally 
 distant from me be such a delusion as to suppose that I need 
 no reformation, no repentance ; for am I, indeed, justified 
 before God because my conscience accuses me of no heinous 
 transgressions of his commandments, of no acts of injustice, 
 and of no gross viciousness ? Do I not belong to the order 
 of sinners, because I have never laid violent hands upon my 
 neighbour's property, and never been guilty of slander or 
 malignity ? No ! I cannot, when I strictly examine myself, 
 deny that I have sinned against God, and am not worthy of 
 his grace. Even in heaven, where, if I had repented, there 
 would have been rejoicing over me even in this heaven, if 
 I persevered in sin, my name would be an abomination to God, 
 to his angels and saints, because I should have grieved the 
 Almighty and his Spirit through my impenitence. And 
 whither should I at last flee for a retreat, when there was no 
 longer refuge for me on earth, when my unprepared soul 
 must depart hence, arid heaven close its gates upon me ! 
 
 But now, for the sake of my soul's deliverance and wel- 
 fare, I will, so long as I have yet time for repentance, ear- 
 nestly seek it before God ; and may the gentle instigations 
 which are made to me, prompt me not to expose myself to 
 the danger of losing my eternal salvation. For how could I, 
 how should I be able to endure such a result ? Ah ! Lord, 
 carry me by thy ways through these deserts into thy heaven, 
 to the company of thy elect and faithful. Lord Jesus, Son 
 of God, do thou guide me with thy Spirit. 
 
520 MORNING COHMUNINGS 
 
 DECEMBER 20. 
 
 A grateful and affectionate Spirit well-pleasing to the 
 Lord. 
 
 I BEHOLD with new rapture, in the just-arisen sun of the 
 morning, the gracious countenance of my God. In its 
 warming rays I feel his goodness. Methinks that the omni- 
 scient eye of the all-present Deity looks down upon me in 
 every beam of light. He sees me, and sees the joyful emo- 
 tions which his Spirit has wrought in my heart at the idea 
 that he is my Creator, and that I am his creature. Is it 
 possible that I should at this moment displease him ? No ; 
 I believe, and doubt not, that he regards me with com- 
 placence. My joy is an effect of his benignity. It has his 
 applause. He has not failed in the object of my creation, 
 since I attain the destination of my being, and through the 
 redemption of Jesus am fitted to the great aim of my exist- 
 ence union and conciliation with God. Unspeakable con- 
 solation for me ! How happy am I at this instant, how 
 happy in the consciousness that I belong to God, and am an 
 object of his approbation ! For this reason only do I rejoice 
 that I have been created. Blessed morn ! when the sun 
 which has introduced thee shall have been long forgotten, I 
 will still with pleasure remember thee ; even in eternity I 
 will preserve thy memory. 
 
 But ah ! wherefore does this felicity so rarely occur to 
 me ? Why does it so soon vanish like a dream ? Will my 
 heart within another hour please him as it does now ? How 
 many days have I already lived without feeling that which I 
 now feel ! And how many shall I yet hereafter lose in a 
 like manner i But no, I will no longer lose them. The 
 goodness of my God has shed over me the heavenly peace 
 which his Son gained for me. His fatherly affection has, in 
 this blessed hour, awakened within me and re-animated a 
 zeal for the sanctification of my heart. It shall not be that 
 I have felt this felicity in vain. I know now, by experience, 
 how greatly joy in God transports and blesses the heart. I 
 will strive, through the power of thy Spirit, almighty Lord, 
 ever more to qualify myself for this seraphic happiness. I 
 

 WITH GOD. 521 
 
 will daily accustom myself more and more to receive even 
 the smallest attestation of the goodness of my heavenly 
 Father with ardent gratitude. I nave now experienced how 
 true it is, that to him who draws near to God, God in return 
 draws near. For the future, therefore, I will always ap- 
 proach him as near as possible. What delight is every day 
 provided for me if my heart is but open to it ! Hencefor- 
 ward I will deem every day completely lost in which I have 
 not, times without number, thought of God, and felt how 
 happy I am that I have a Creator who, in Christ Jesus, his 
 Son, has loved me from eternity. 
 
 DECEMBER 21. 
 
 Christian Humiliation before God. 
 
 WHEN I consider what God is, and what I myself am, I 
 must necessarily feel the deepest humility, and be incapable 
 of approaching him otherwise than with the most lively feel- 
 ing of my utter weakness and wretchedness. And this is 
 also the only way in which I can find grace with the Deity. 
 With a humble, lowly heart I will strive to please him, as 
 one who with zeal pursues the pattern of his Son. My de- 
 basement arid my meanness will not avert from me the 
 countenance of the Majesty of heaven. For if I submissively 
 perceive how little I am worthy of God's grace, then I shall 
 never cease to render myself more deserving of it by chasten- 
 ing my heart: so will my soul raise itself full of reverence to 
 the Lord, and my worship of the Almighty will be a wor- 
 shipping in spirit and in truth. And how greatlv do I feel 
 myself called upon to exercise this humility when I reflect 
 what I really am, and what I ought to be, and to become 
 according to God's will; when with strict impartiality I 
 explore the motives of my good works, and compare my 
 past life with God's commandments ; when I remember how 
 great God is, and how little I am myself; when I call to 
 mind that the holy and righteous God judges me, and that I 
 should be undone if it were to please him to summon me be- 
 fore his tribunal ! Be then the dark error of pride for ever 
 
522 MORNING COMMUNINGS 
 
 banished from my heart ! Let me vow to thee, O God, al- 
 ways to walk with pious humility in thy ways, to resign my- 
 self to thy counsel and to thy chastisement, and never to 
 murmur nor complain when thou appointest to me sufferings 
 and trials. 
 
 O God, teach me humility. Thou art great and exalted 
 above all; but I am nothing. Thou art eternal, and re- 
 mainest as thou art, and thy years know no end ; but I am a 
 mortal man, and my life is only a shadow on the earth. Ah ! 
 Lord, teach me that I am nothing, and that all the good 
 that there is in me I owe to thy favour. Behold, without 
 thy light, I wander in a sightless path ; for my eyes are far 
 too dim to discern, in yonder distance, the everlasting infamy 
 and dishonour which will be the finish of my pride if thou 
 incline not thyself to show me, through thy Spirit, the foot- 
 steps of true lowliness und self-degradation. How long 
 shall I wander from thy paths, and still esteem myself great 
 in the midst of my real, though unperceived abjectness? 
 When will thy illumination disperse this darkness of my 
 soul? O God, I long and tarry for thy help: operate 
 within me that perfect piety through which I may please 
 thee. I am a sinner, and possess not that Christian reputa- 
 tion which I ought to have before thee ; but be thou gracious 
 to me ; let thy face shine upon me, and thy right hand 
 teach me. 
 
 DECEMBER 22. 
 
 Review of the various Blessings received from God during 
 the Year. 
 
 THE more nearly I approach to the close of the year, the 
 more urgent do I feel the duty of reviewing the blessings of 
 God with which its entire space has been replenished. But 
 where, O Lord, shall I begin to count up the proofs of thy 
 bounteous grace ? They are immeasurable, incalculable, inex- 
 pressible. Thy goodness spreads itself out as widely as the 
 heavens, and thy truth reaches as far as the skies extend. 
 From the heavens, which are expanded over me, thou 
 causest thy benefactions to descend upon me without ceasing. 
 
WITH GOD 523 
 
 Even for me must suri and moon shine, and the firma- 
 ment be robed in clouds. Air and wind, dew and rain, heat 
 and frost, day and night, must minister and be subservient to 
 my life, to my support, and to my well-being. The earth, 
 which is so great and broad, and full of thy goodness, hast 
 thou given to me, with all that belongs to it, and with all 
 that thou either in it or on it producest every day. Its hills 
 and dales, its plains, its tilled lands and meadows, its woods 
 and groves, its brooks and rivers, its seas arid oceans, arid 
 all its multiplied kinds of living and lifeless things, contri- 
 bute to each day's food and sustenance, to our clothing, arid 
 all the necessaries and conveniences of human existence. 
 And what shall I say of those benefits which thou hast es- 
 pecially conferred upon me? of the rich gifts with which 
 thou hast endowed my heart and spirit, by inscribing thy law 
 on the former, and creating the latter, through the faculty of 
 reason and free-will, according to thy own image ? of the 
 blessing which health and competency, which succoss in 
 my labours and undertakings, and which love and friendship 
 have afforded to me ? Thou hast even until this present 
 moment supplied every essential want, and all the comforts 
 of iny condition, and added even more than I needed. 
 From how many dangers, to which I was every instant ex- 
 posed, hast thou protected me ! How much unmerited good- 
 ness hast thou daily lavished upon me ! Men indeed have 
 forsaken me; but thou, Lord, hast never either abandoned 
 or slighted me ; thou hast tended me with a parent's care, 
 and thy munificence has exceeded my expectation as well as 
 my deserts. Through the wonderful influence of Providence 
 even strange and unknown men, nay, my very enemies them- 
 selves, have been constrained to be useful and helpful to me, 
 and to advance my prosperity. How visible, O God, in all 
 these events of my life, is thy hand, which has both guided 
 me, and ruled in secret over me ! I may either look into 
 myself, or above, or around, or below; and I shall find 
 everywhere evidences, everywhere effects, of the goodness of 
 God : every moment even the present one, teaches me his 
 mercy. 
 
 Now, Lord, with profound veneration, I return thanks to 
 thy beneficent providence, and I praise thy unbounded good- 
 ness with inmost emotion. And the more evidently I per- 
 
524 MORNING COMMUNINGS 
 
 ceive that I am in no degree worthy of thy benefits, the more 
 I admire thy compassion. To all thy other manifestations of 
 grace subjoin, likewise, I beseech thee, this, that thou to-day 
 also renew thy favour towards me, and that thou bless me yet 
 further through the saving patience with which thou hast thus 
 long indulged me. For what would the world be to me, or 
 what should I be to myself, if thou wert to take away from 
 me thy sanctifying grace ? 
 
 DECEMBER 23. 
 
 The Consummation of the Christian Faith 
 
 " IT is finished!" So shall I be able one day to exclaim 
 with joy and thankfulness after my Jesus, if I walk as he did 
 before God, and persevere to the end. All that life has griev- 
 ous, arid all that death has bitter, will reach a termination. 
 Even the happiest situation in the world has its woes and ca- 
 lamities. And how few are those who enjoy a happy station ! 
 How many, on the contrary, are they with whom one sad day 
 invariably succeeds to another, who are obliged to struggle 
 under accumulated misery, and whose sorrow is scarcely now 
 and then interrupted by a few rays of joy. Many a trouble 
 indeed has been already surmounted and brought to a close 
 on the earth. To-day I sigh over this or some other burden ; 
 and to-morrow the Lord has already removed it from me, and 
 lightened my heart. How often has experience taught me 
 that I might successfully overcome adversities which I pic- 
 tured to myself to be invincible. And this even of itself ought 
 to invigorate my mind with confidence and fortitude, when 
 any impending or present distress would render me downcast. 
 This evil also will pass away, as so many evils have already 
 done ; this grief also will my heart support, as it has sup- 
 ported so many other afflictions, through the assistance of 
 God. 
 
 But the grand and entire consummation, the passage through 
 all the painful and sorrowful ways through which 1 have here 
 had to wander, will then be achieved, when that full separation 
 from this visible world shall take place, which 1 have to ex- 
 pect in death ; when this frail, mortal veil of flesh, which now 
 
WITH GOD. 
 
 causes me to contend with pain and sickness, with cares and 
 hardships, with decay and weakness, shall fall into shreds. 
 Want cannot oppress me there, where I shall no more need 
 temporal goods ; the injustice and the tyranny of men can no 
 more torment me there ; there their weak mortal arm is un- 
 able to reach ; the frailties of the body, and its diseases and 
 sorrows, can no longer affect the soul, loosened from these 
 bonds. All the toils of this earthly pilgrimage, every sharp 
 conflict against the might of sin, every oppression of iniquity 
 and villany, and all the afflictions with which the state of pro- 
 bation is filled and loaded, will then be finished, and they will 
 be finished very soon. Then will it be with me as if I had 
 awoke out of an agonizing dream, or had been delivered from 
 some great danger, and see myself in safety: I shall then be 
 indemnified for all the misery of this life by eternal joy. 
 
 Help me, O God, to vanquish those afflictions which are 
 still destined to me in the latter days of my course. Help 
 me to fulfil the duties, to the exercise of which I am bound as 
 a man and as a Christian. Help me to maintain the warfare 
 which I must wage with vice and the world. Help me to 
 pass to thy honour this day, which thou hast given to me for 
 my amendment. And finally, when the completion of my 
 earthly course arrives, let it be hailed by me with a joyful 
 exultation of spirit, and let me rapturously exclaim, " It is 
 finished!" 
 
 DECEMBER 24. 
 
 The Blessings attending the Coming of the Saviour. 
 
 WITH supreme joy, and pious thankfulness, do I to-day con- 
 template the invaluable blessings in which the world and I 
 also have been made to participate through the birth of the 
 Saviour. Glad in heart do I unite my exulting voice in one 
 accord with the hymns of praise of the celestial choirs, and 
 shout aloud, " Glory be to God on high ! " For if I this day, 
 with filial confidence, call upon God as my Father ; if I 
 cheer and comfort myself with the assurance of his parental 
 love, and put my trust in his wise providence; to whom, ex- 
 cept to the Redeemer of the world, do I owe this happiness 
 
526 MORNING COMMUNINGS 
 
 arid this bliss ? He indeed it was who, through his coining 
 and his gospel, banished slavish fear out of the hearts of men, 
 and again restored the honour of God among the human race. 
 How sadly, ere he spoke his word of peace and light, were 
 the reverence of God, and the worship which is due to him, 
 debased and mistaken on the earth ! What a heartless and 
 corrupted service of the Divine Being, and what an abomi- 
 nable service of idols, prevailed in the world! How had the 
 kingdom of darkness extended its boundaries, and how small 
 was the number of the worshippers of the true God ! When 
 Jesus Christ appeared, a light to lighten the Gentiles, the 
 night of superstition and ignorance fled, the day of salvation 
 dawned, and peace came upon the earth, the peace of faith, of 
 love, and of hope. The altars of the false divinities vanished ; 
 and to the Eternal, who dwelleth not in temples made by 
 men's hands, the only begotten Son of God turned and in- 
 clined the rational heart; he taught that God as a Spirit, was 
 to be worshipped only in spirit and in truth ; he strengthened 
 all hearts through tidings of everlasting life. 
 
 O ! eternal thanks be to thee, thou Son of the Most High, 
 for these blessings of thy divine doctrine and thy sublime 
 pattern ; eternal thanks be to thee that thou didst not disdain 
 to take upon thee our human nature, and become in all 
 things, sin excepted, similar to thy brethren. Even for me 
 hast thou, through thy teaching and thy promises, obtained 
 everlasting salvation ; even me hast thou reconciled with God, 
 and to me given peace for my soul. O ! would that I might 
 become ever worthier of these blessings of thy love, firmer in 
 my faith in thee, more steadfast in my affection towards thee! 
 Would that I might hereafter belong to the number of the 
 elect, to whom thou wilt say : " Come, ye blessed of the 
 Lord, and inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the be- 
 ginning of the world." 
 
 O Jesus, how shall I sufficiently praise thee for the bless- 
 ings which thy incarnation has conferred upon me. Make 
 me at least duly thankful towards thee, and let not. only these 
 feelings, but, much more, my whole life, testify the gratitude 
 to which thy love has engaged me. Especially grant that 
 on this day my heart may be filled with the holy impulses of 
 devotion and admiration. When I meditate upon the ever- 
 adorable mystery of thy assumption of the flesh, O ! let me 
 
V7fTH GOD. 527 
 
 then be transported in spirit into that kingdom of the blessed, 
 where to thee, thou woman-born Redeemer, all the perfect in 
 glory pay homage. Father of my Lord Jesus Christ, vouch- 
 safe to me, and preserve tome, the faith that justifies me, that 
 I may be a partaker of thy peace, and acceptable to thee. 
 Let me feel the joy of thy salvation, to the end that I may 
 magnify thee on the earth, in love and piety, till I shall here- 
 after unite with all the angels ir celebrating thee. 
 
 DECEMBER 25. 
 
 The Birth of Christ. 
 
 ! WHAT a happy night was that in which thou, Irnmanuel, 
 was born ! I think of it with the holiest rapture on the 
 morning of this festive day of the memory of thy birth. 
 Glory be to God on high, and on earth peace, goodwill to- 
 wards men ! be this also my hymn on the great day on 
 which the Saviour of the world was born. How could 
 
 1 remain mute amid the universal strains of all heaven ? 
 I have indeed the greatest cause to rejoice over this won- 
 derful event, which strikes heaven with amazement. I en- 
 joy the full fruits of the manifestation of Jesus, which the 
 angels exalt to the praise of the most excellent. Even for me 
 to-day the Saviour was born. Even for my salvation, he en- 
 dured weakness, necessity, and want. Even in me God glo- 
 rifies his love arid the riches of his mercy through his Son, 
 whom for my salvation he sent into the world. My salva- 
 tion and my peace is Jesus Christ. 
 
 Heartily then will T join the multitude of the heavenly 
 hosts to praise Him who spared not his only begotten Son, 
 but has given him up for me. I will celebrate him, my 
 king-, I will worship him, I will extol him with exceeding 
 joy. I will contemplate the deep mystery through which he, 
 who might well have possessed joys, chose the misery of this 
 mortal life, and became my brother. I will, so long as nights 
 and days succeed each other in alternate change, be mindful 
 of the night in which my Jesus was born. Yea, even then, 
 when no more night shall be, I will rejoice in him, in heaven, 
 and bless the hour of his healing birth. 
 
528 MORNING COMMUNINGS 
 
 In spirit I reverentially approach to thy manger, O incar- 
 nate God ! I admire, with awful astonishment, the greatness 
 of thy love, which moved thee to exchange heaven for earth, 
 instead of riches to choose poverty, and instead of infinite 
 grandeur, humiliation. O ! be blessed to me, Immanuel, in 
 thy first tears, in thy first poverty, in thy first sufferings ! O! 
 how does the thought ravish me, that thou hast become my 
 brother ! How incalculably important for me is the happi- 
 ness which thy birth imparts to me ! It must then remain 
 my chief, my constant care, to tarnish thy honour and ma- 
 jesty by no sinful thoughts, by no culpable inclination, by no 
 criminal action; but to glorify thee by my faith, and by my 
 strict adherence to, and imitation of, thee. It must constitute 
 my most serious solicitude to preserve that peace which thou 
 hast obtained for me through the grace of God. Be these 
 my determinations on this the feast of thy blessed nativity ! 
 Be these the thanks which, for thy unspeakable love, I offer 
 up to the Father in heaven. 
 
 DECEMBER 26. 
 
 The Mystery of the Redemption. 
 
 LET my soul piously contemplate, in this hour of morning 
 meditation, the holy mystery which the nativity of Christ 
 displays to us ! Let my spirit occupy itself, in the most 
 reverential meditation on the Lord, who was born at Beth- 
 lehem ! Let not the poverty and the humiliation under 
 which he entered into the world, and the abjectness of his 
 early life, prevent my finding the Lord of glory, who, of his 
 own free will, debased himself for my salvation, into the con- 
 dition of servitude ! Glory be to God on high, and adored 
 be the decree of love and grace, which he has executed in 
 Jesus. How nobly has the word of prophecy, which was 
 spoken on that stupendous night to the astonished shepherds, 
 been accomplished ! Before the rays of the heavenly light 
 which Jesus lighted in the world, the night of superstition and 
 ignorance has fled ; and we ourselves are children of light, and, 
 as such, look up, with confidence and joy, to God, whom we ho- 
 
WITH GOD, 529 
 
 nour as the Father of mankind by our veneration, our confi- 
 dence, and our love. He, as the great Prophet, proclaims the 
 council of God concerning salvation : he shows the way to the 
 most blessed consummation : his are both the counsel and the 
 deed ; his are understanding and might. For in hirn lie hid- 
 den all treasures of wisdom and knowledge : supported by 
 his strength, the powers of the world and of hell are too weak 
 to overthrow me. He is the Father of eternity : in order 
 to carry me, after a short residence on this earth, to the 
 blessedness of heaven, he forsook heaven and visited the 
 earth. He is the Prince of Peace : he reconciles heaven and 
 earth, and makes the Judge my friend, and the friend my 
 Father. Hallelujah ! to me is a Saviour born ! To me a 
 Deliverer and friend is given, who never abandons me. 
 
 Lord ! behold, the dust which thou hast exalted to hea- 
 ven behold, thy servant worships thee. Thy humiliation is 
 the cause that I can rejoice in thy elevation. O ! those first 
 tears, which thou sheddest on the bosom of thy holy mother ; 
 that nakedness, in which thou layest ; that night, in which 
 thy first cry was heard ; these, thy first sorrows on the earth, 
 were the beginning of the great joy which arrived to all 
 people when thou wast born they are the commencement of 
 my salvation. I am also one of the happy creatures for whom 
 tbou hast been born man. And that through thee I can make 
 a claim to the kingdom of felicity for this be thy compassion 
 magnified. Be it magnified in every thought which I direct 
 to myself ! be it magnified in every recollection of death and 
 eternity ! Be it magnified hereafter by me, when, before thy 
 throne, I shall have received the immortality to which thy 
 incarnation and humanity have destined me ! 
 
 DECEMBER 27. 
 
 The Merits of Jesus. 
 
 JN thee rests all comfort, compassionating Jesus, who from 
 thy dwelling-place of joy, earnest into this world flowing 
 with tears, that I might not perish in eternal sadness ! Lord 
 Jesus! how consolatory is it for me, and how exhilarating to 
 
 2 M 
 
530 MORNING COMMUNINGS 
 
 my neart, that thou didst assume the human form, and even in 
 the smallest weakness of my mortal nature, hast been like to 
 myself, and the companion of my misery. Wherefore do I 
 still bewail the bitterness and afflictions of my earthly course, 
 since, in thy birth, such glorious solace for all the misery of 
 my pilgrimage here is contained? Thou hast, through thy 
 incarnation, procured for me endless blessings, which content 
 all the wants of my heart : thou hast soothed my sorrow, and 
 removed my cares. I find quiet for my soul when I accept 
 thy yoke, and learn from thee. 
 
 In everything that causes me solicitude, in all humiliations, 
 in all my concerns, I have in thee, thou highly-magnified 
 Son of God, a counsellor and a helper. When I perceive, 
 with melancholy regret, how many friends there are in the 
 world who forsake me in the hour of need, who stand un- 
 moved at the spec tacie of my anguish and my pains, then do 
 I turn my regards to thee, my Saviour, arid in thee find com- 
 fort, assistance, and defence. 
 
 Under this happy confidence, tranquil and without anxiety, 
 I bend my steps into the world. It is even the same world 
 in which thou, O Jesus, hast sustained so much, and thereby 
 sanctified all my destinies, and rendered them mild. It is even 
 the Sciine world from which thou hast so triumphantly de- 
 parted, and thus bequeathed to me the promise, that thou 
 wouldst also, in fulness of time, receive me to thyself. It is 
 even the same world into which I, as thou didst, entered 
 needy, naked, and weeping. Therefore I dare to hope, that 
 so long as I am a pilgrim thou wilt further lead me with 
 thy hand, and refresh me with thy healing. Yes, God can, 
 God will vouchsafe to me everything in his beloved Son. 
 From his love I can expect all; from his pity I can hope 
 everything. This world is yet too small to satisfy my wishes, 
 and to make my hope complete. There is still another world 
 reserved for me, where I shall enjoy, in its utmost plenitude, 
 the blessed harvest of Christ's earthly transformation. Thither 
 bear me in due season, Immanuel, that I may be infinitely 
 happy, even as thou art happy. 
 
 
WITH GJD. 
 
 DECEMBER 28. 
 
 The Bitterness of Life, and the Frailty of human Nature, 
 taken anoatj by Christ. 
 
 IF, among the innumerable days of the world, a day and 
 hour had not appeared in which the Son of the Most High 
 became man, it were a misfortune to belong to the human 
 race. Only since this natal day of Jesus can it be said by 
 man blessed be the day on which I was born! To be a 
 man is, for him who loves truth and virtue, frequently some- 
 thing so shaming and derogatory, so painfully humiliating, 
 that it is difficult to refrain from bitter complaints against the 
 Author of our mortal existence. But, on recollecting the 
 holy and divine Being who wore the resemblance of us in 
 everything, save only in our guilt, we feel ourselves again 
 reconciled to the human nature. Its weakness, its corrup- 
 tion, and its insensibility distress and disquiet us no longer. 
 For can its weakness redound as a reproach to us, or had 
 God wished to signalize us through it as contemptible crea- 
 tures, unworthy of his patronage and affection, since he has 
 sent to us his Only-born, and clothed him in this same na- 
 ture ? And as in regard to the feebleness of our nature, so 
 likewise in respect to its corruption, does the incarnation of 
 Jesus comfort us. For this our race has had a member who 
 was found righteous and justified, even before the tribunal of 
 God ; our nature has been, consequently, once innocent and 
 pure ; and it is, therefore, yet possible, that it may again be 
 pure and uncorrupted. Ought not this to reconcile me to my 
 condition ? And did not Jesus become man for this express 
 intent, that he might snatch human nature from perdition, 
 and found an institution through which all who will reform 
 and improve themselves, shall have the participation of a 
 higher support and assistance ? And how nobly has this 
 dispensation preserved its beneficent influence ! It has armed 
 believers with celestiai power, has filled their souls with celes- 
 tial sentiments it has enabled them to become the children 
 of God. 
 
 Lord Jesus! change me into so happy a creature ! Hin- 
 der me, through thy grace, from debasing myself to the brutes 
 
532 MORNING COMMUNINGS 
 
 by stiff-neckedness and obduracy, and irrationality and wick- 
 edness : and grant that I may evermore approximate to the 
 honour which thy descent to the earth has brought to me. 
 In all my doings my preferment and my destination must be 
 manifest. Let me not defile, by infamous appetites and lusts, 
 that nature which thou hast so eminently glorified, but hal- 
 low it, and keep it free from all pollution, both of flesh and 
 spirit. But especially render me capable of imitating thee 
 in thy love and in thy humility, and of remaining always thy 
 faithful follower. Guard arid watch me, that the time may 
 never come when I might wish that thou, or myself, had not 
 been. Let me, on the contrary, exercise strict care to con- 
 duct myself conformably to the great aim and object of thy 
 incarnation, and live as a man who has been ordained, by 
 his Redeemer, to a state of inexpressible happiness. 
 
 DECEMBER 29. 
 
 L,ife to be devoted to providing for Eternity. 
 
 I ADMIRE, O God, the wise and benignant provisions which 
 thou hast made relative to the life of man. The years of 
 the suckling, as well as those of the hoary aged man, are 
 entered in the volume of thy providence. How dear must 
 my welfare and my happiness be to thee, since thou so kindly 
 takest care that my days shall be void of none of thy bless- 
 ings ! This my soul knows now with joy and thankfulness. 
 How could I be so ungrateful or so inconsiderate as to abuse 
 these blessings? No ; be it my most zealous solicitude to live 
 according to thy commandments, and to die thy child, since 
 on both of these efforts depends my eternal safety. How 
 valuable must every moment be, which thy goodness grants 
 to me, O God, for my qualification for heaven. A life in 
 which I devoted more to the present world than to the task 
 of preparing myself for eternity, accords not with the aim 
 which thou, my Creator, hadst in view when thou placedst 
 me here. I live not in order to eat, to drink, or to sleep ; I 
 live not in order to labour for the happiness of my family ; 
 I live not in order to learn sciences and arts ; I live not in 
 

 WITH 00!). 533 
 
 order to collect riches, and urge my way to high posts of 
 honour I live for the sake of eternity. And a life in which 
 I spend more time in such objects than on the salvation of 
 my soul, is to be deemed lost. 
 
 But how often have I already pursued these reflections 
 without becoming wiser, without retaining in view the scope 
 of my existence, and without laying out to the best account 
 so inestimable a possession as time ? Were not thy patience 
 so great, my Lord and my God, thou wouldst long ago have 
 suffered me to perish in my sin. But, ever indulgent and 
 beneficent, thou favourest thy weak child with increased 
 respite for amendment, and still loadest him with those boun- 
 ties which have been already so greatly abused. Praise be 
 ascribed to thee for this, thou God of mercy and love ! Let 
 the year, swiftly verging to its close, teach me to make a 
 more conscientious application of my winged, irretrievable 
 hours, and to live for heaven without neglecting the duties 
 incumbent on me as a citizen of the world. How can I 
 hesitate when I stand already on the brink of the grave, and 
 must dread, every moment, to sink into it ! O ! among all 
 the affairs and employments which yet press upon me in this 
 life, the study of my spiritual improvement must remain the 
 first, and the most serious of all. This day must not, as so 
 many former ones, swell the sum of my lost days ! Nature, 
 experience, and religion preach to me the necessity of repent- 
 ance. My body, the decay of my vigour, and thy holy 
 scriptures tell me that I am mortal. O ! then I will not 
 delay, my God, to listen to thy voice, and to practise the 
 wisdom in which it instructs me. 
 
 DECEMBER 30. 
 
 The Heart called to its Account for Time. 
 
 I NOW stand on the extreme boundary of a year, and look 
 back, like a traveller from the summit he has attained, on 
 that considerable portion of my existence which I have now 
 completed ; I review in what manner I have walked in the 
 ways through which God commanded me to go ; I sigh 
 
534 MORNING COMMUNING9 
 
 over the weakness of my heart, over my numerous lost days, 
 over so many neglected opportunities of goodness, and re- 
 joice in the righteousness which through God's assistance 1 
 have executed in fhe blessings which the All-beneficent has 
 imparted to me, and in the submission and fortitude with 
 which I have endured the sufferings that were doomed to 
 me. I feel that the purpose of good indeed dwells in my 
 breast, but the accomplishment of it encounters many obsta- 
 cles. And how could I, under such circumstances, run into 
 temptation ! how could I consider myself perfect, and exalt 
 myself above others whose deviations are perhaps less than 
 my own. Instead of this foolish and perverted self-love, far 
 rather will I in these days, which admonish me to pensive 
 meditation, and which afford a pause to the noisy tumult of 
 ordinary distractions, in these sacred days, explore and inves- 
 tigate my heart. I will renounce all that flattery and delu- 
 sion by which I have so often imposed upon myself. I will 
 interrogate my heart with sincerity arid answer with candour: 
 Have I this year improved myself with regard to religious 
 feeling; have I become in my calling more faithful, in my 
 belief more steadfast and stronger, in my love more disin- 
 terested and noble, in watchfulness over myself more assi- 
 duous, in the will and the practice of virtue, more conslant 
 and zealous ? Have I constantly shown myself wiser in my 
 undertakings more prudent and more cautious ? Have I 
 fulfilled the duties which I owe to God and to the world with 
 all possible conscientiousness and fidelity ? Have I guarded 
 myself from consenting to any sin, and from ever doing any- 
 thing contrary to God's commandments ? 
 
 O ! thou, my heart, to which these important questions 
 refer, examine thyself well, ere a reply be pronounced. Spare 
 thyself not, when thou here and there discoverest errors, nor 
 seek to conceal them. For from whom wilt thou veil them ? 
 from men? ah ! perhaps they know them better than thou 
 art aware : from thyself? thy inward feelings would dis- 
 close to thee that which thou wouldst hide even from thy- 
 self: from God ? He dives to the lowest depths of thy bo- 
 som, and would punish thee for thy falsehood, hypocrisy, and 
 deceit. Be, therefore, ingenuous and upright ; mark thy 
 faults, acknowledge them with shame and repentance, and 
 humbly seek thy pardon through Him who has suffered and 
 
WITH GOD. 535 
 
 died for thee. Findest tbou aught of good in thyself? ren- 
 der thanks to God that he has produced it within thee, and 
 labour hard to increase in it. And finally, under all these 
 considerations, and in ali thy doings, pray thus without ceas- 
 ing : Let thy blessing light upon me, Almighty God ! Let 
 my feet be found in thy ways, and deign thyself to teach rne 
 by what means I may please thee. Endue me with a holy 
 reliance on thy goodness, with brotherly love, with the peace 
 of piety, and with that wisdom which is apt in the know- 
 ledge, and cheerful in the exercise, of every duty, through 
 Christ Jesus, my Saviour. Amen. 
 
 DECEMBER 31. 
 
 Thanks for the Mercies experienced during the Course of 
 the elapsed Year. 
 
 ONLY this day yet remains, and then, through thy mercy, O 
 Lord and Father of my life, I shall have concluded an entire 
 year. How could I advance to meet the dark future with- 
 out self- reflection, and without grateful exaltation of heart 
 towards thee ! how could I allow the present day to disap- 
 pear without calling to mind those countless blessings which 
 thou hast showered upon me during this lapse of time! That 
 which I should do, if to-day the last morning of my life had 
 dawned, the same will I now do on this last day of the de- 
 parting year. But what should I do, if I beheld the rising 1 
 of the sun, void of all hope to see its setting? How should 
 I act, if I stood on the limits of life, as 1 now stand on the 
 year's boundary ! I should, if I were wise, think with re- 
 pentance and contrition on my past days : I should recollect 
 with the most ardent emotion the bounties of my God, and 
 then, in faith in my Redeemer, act as commanded by the will 
 of my Creator. I will regard myself as a dying man, and 
 with sincerity observe the duties which I should under such 
 circumstances practise. 
 
 With shame and remorse do I revert in memory to the 
 days which I have lived. I cannot impute to them any 
 worth, for I have spent them in follies and sins. Nothing is 
 
536 MORNING CQMMUNINGS WITH GOD. 
 
 left to me, but to flee for refuge to thy mercy, and to thy love 
 in Jesus Christ. Bitter and humiliating as this conscious- 
 ness must necessarily be to my heart, yet is the remembram 
 of thy favours, of which the number widely exceeds 
 transgressions, agreeable and delightful to me. I praise 
 for thy inexpressible goodness, which on every day and in 1 
 every hour of this year, has magnified itself in me ; for so 
 many benefits, unnoticed and unknown, which I have each 
 moment received from thee ; and for that most admirable, 
 wondrous patience, through which thou hast borne with me 
 in my multiplied offences. 
 
 Lord, if this thy grace were not my comfort and my re- 
 liance, I could not without terror endure the retrospect of this 
 late portion of my life, which thy beneficence has bestowed 
 upon me. But now I regard it with a tranquil heart, be- 
 cause it affords to me another and most verifying assurance 
 of the continuation of thy grace. With the utmost confi- 
 dence I approach to a new revolution of time, for thy good- 
 ness will also still be renewed with each successive morning; 
 thy omnipotence will protect me, thy wisdom will direct and 
 govern me. Thou wilt bless whatever I undertake with a 
 heart full of love and fidelity, and with affiance in thee; thou 
 wilt, above all, bless the zeal with which I aspire after thy 
 kingdom. In thy compassion I shall find the accomplish- 
 ment of all the wishes which in the silence and submission of 
 my heart I breathe forth to thee. To live in thy compassion 
 will be for me the happiest of all lives, and to die in thy grace 
 the most gentle and blessed of all deaths. 
 
 THE END. ff^t 
 
 [UIU7IICSJ! 
 
 London : Joseph Rickerby, Printer, Sherbcurn Lane. 
 
Sttirau C+ C 
 
 Homing ci